Destiny's Game
by xxxMusarockz
Summary: After having her future predicted, Musa finds out that she's meant to find 'the one'. She meets Riven in another realm, on the beach, just the like the fortune teller foretold. The two have the perfect romance. But things soon come crashing down, so she takes their fate in her hands and twists it. Now only their destinies can unite them but were they actually meant to be together?
1. I can't run in these heels!

**AU. The girls don't have magic.**

**Pairings: MxR, BxS, TxT, LxN, FxH, SxB, SxA, MxOC.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: I can't run in these heels!<strong>

"I don't believe in all that rubbish!" Musa growled as her feet scraped the ground. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Musa, it's not rubbish."

"Yeah? Just 'cause you believe it, Flo." Finally, all of Musa's struggling paid off. Her friends released her from their grip and sighed in frustration. They had given up with their idea of pulling her along.

"It's still rude to Aunt Ivy." Flora pouted, crossing her arms.

Aunt Ivy was Flora's aunt. Flora's father's sister to be technical. The woman was a fortune teller; an expert in tarot cards. She was known across many realms for her accurate predictions. Many, including the royals would call on her whenever they had a question to be answered. But lately her business was declining. For Flora though, it wasn't such a bad thing since she could now visit her and put her yearning to rest.

"I'm sure Aunt Ivy is a very nice person; but seriously, tarot cards? Looking into the future? Sounds like a carnival scam to me."

"Oh, Musa! Just give it a try," Bloom insisted. She gave Musa her best puppy eyes and blinked furiously. But Musa's expression remained hard.

The six of them were standing on the grey concrete tiles that made up one of the many broad paths in the City of Magix. The particular path they stood on was lined with a row of blooming geraniums neatly sitting on the edge opposite to the road. The tiny flowers swayed in the gentle evening breeze in their many hues of red, pink and violet. Several shafts of sunlight shone through the spaces in the barred fence which rested on top of the low wall which concealed Magix's lush park. Just as it hit the girls on their sides, floating cars began to zoom past them, everyone in them barely awake. Musa watched them as they tried to overtake each other to get home before they were made late by one of Magix's many traffic jams. The setting sun felt warm on Musa's arm but the heat it carried wasn't powerful. Most of the sunlight failed to get to her due to the towering buildings which blocked it almost as if they were sunglasses. She wanted to be in her own building, snuggled up on the couch in her apartment. Not here, being forced to visit Flora's aunt.

Stella sighed. "Right. Back to dragging her then!"

"Oh, crap," Musa hissed. She swiftly turned on her heel just as the girls were about to grab her again, and sprinted down the empty street.

"Get her!" Layla exclaimed.

Tecna let out a fake sob. She was _very_ annoyed. She didn't believe in future predictions either; mainly because of her strong belief in technology. And since technology couldn't predict the future, to her, neither could some old aunt. The pink haired girl massaged the bridge of her nose. As much as she'd wanted to refuse coming along, she hadn't said a word, she just wasn't that type of person. So she was quietly following the girls. She just wanted to get it over and done with, but Musa's obstinacy was driving her crazy. Layla was just about to break into a sprint when Tecna quickly snatched her wrist. She only had to stop Layla, the other girls weren't thinking about going anywhere. Stella wasn't going to run because she was wearing heels and Bloom and Flora were bad at running and probably wouldn't be able to catch up with Musa anyway.

"Let me handle this." Tecna narrowed her eyes and stepped towards the geraniums. Along the perimeter of their bed, round stones lay in a line side by side. She picked one up, ruined the perfect arrangement and focused on her aim. With a quick flick of her wrist the stone cut through the air. It hit Musa exactly where Tecna wanted it to: on her calves. There was a loud grunt from Musa when the attack hit her and within moments, she was lying on the ground.

Flora gasped as the others made a dash for Musa.

"My life is over." She groaned, resting her cheek on the cold concrete beneath.

"Though you're still alive." The blonde pursed her lips and tugged on her friend, lifting her back onto her feet.

Musa's jeans were ripped at the knees and her arms were covered in scratches. Her only escape had failed her. Now there was really nothing she could do to get out of the trip. She'd tried pleading, fighting and making all sorts of excuses but none of them had worked. If they had, she wouldn't have been there right then.

"I hate you. I hate you all. Isn't it illegal to forcibly drag someone somewhere?"

"I highly doubt it if they're your friends." Bloom shrugged. Musa's eyes were half hooded as her friend continued in the same pleading tone she'd spoken in earlier. "Come on. It won't be that bad."

"Yeah. Just come for the tea and cakes?" Flora suggested, hoping that would lure Musa in.

"Did you just say cake?" Musa's navy eyes lit up and she straightened up automatically. "I'm so there!"

Flora quietly giggled into her palm and nudged Bloom, who was shaking her head at Musa. By the time the girls had exchanged glances, Musa was already at the end of the street, leading the way to the train station.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she called back, sparing the girls a glance.

"We're coming, sweetie."

"How are not fed up with her? I mean, she didn't exactly give us an easy time." Stella really didn't get it. She was still pissed about the stuff she'd had to do. Being Musa's best friend sure wasn't easy. She'd had to wake her up in the morning, considering they lived together, to tell her that they were going to meet Flora's aunt. As soon as she'd told her that, a huge argument had commenced which involved a lot of swearing and glaring. Then there was the task of actually dragging Musa to meet the girls that afternoon. That had really made Stella want to pull her hair out. And finally, there had been the impossible task of convincing her to move, which resulted in using physical strength to pull her to the station.

"Because she's Musa." Flora smiled as the girls took their first steps towards the station after their brief stop.

"Still. You girls don't even look annoyed!"

"I'm sorry?" Layla scoffed. "I was ready to kill her! But forget me, look at Tecna back there!"

The girls turned their heads and observed Tecna's vicious eyes and gritted teeth. What she was doing made the girls laugh. Only Musa and Stella were known to do things like that, so it was odd to see Tecna do it.

Flora slowed down and put her arm around her friend. "I'm sorry, Tecna. But I'm sure you'll have a great time. There will be cake!"

Tecna rolled her eyes. "I dislike cake. Plus I am not Musa."

"Aaaand that's why we love you!" Stella chimed in, linking arms with her friend. "You didn't make a fuss, just sighed and agreed to coming along."

"Are you kidding?"

"What are you talking about?" Layla furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Bloom, who looked surprised and was eyeing the other girls with confusion.

"Huh? Tecna told me you guys knew you had to pay her after we got back? She's already taken the money off me and...I feel stupid." Bloom frowned.

"It was nice doing business with you, Bloom!" Tecna smirked and started running forwards.

"Hey! I want my money back!" Bloom yelled, chasing after Tecna. Soon after Layla gave Flora a brief nod and they too ran off.

"Wha-? Hey! Wait for me! I can't run in these heels..." Stella hopped across the pavement in desperate attempts to get her heels off. Frantically, her hands waved but Flora and Layla didn't look like they were going to wait. "Curse you!"

"Unh...Watch it!" Musa exclaimed as a gush of wind blew into her face as a group of people ran past her. When she opened her eyes, she realised it was the girls. Layla turned around and gestured her to hurry. Musa immediately broke into a jog and was running alongside the girls in a matter of seconds.

"What- what are we running from?" Musa asked, catching her breath.

"Stella," Layla stated bluntly but her eyes shimmered with enjoyment.

The sound of several shoes pounding against the ground was fading. It caused Stella to begin to panic. Were they going to leave without her? This was a mean trick already, running away, knowing she had uncomfortable high heels on. Her eyebrows were raised as she came to a halt in the station. It was very empty. She moved forwards a little, her heels which she hadn't been able to take off echoed around the empty space.

"Stel!" The blonde heard her name being called. It was very faint over the soft chugging of the train's wheels. "Stella!" She whipped her head around in the direction of the sound. There they were. Her friends were waving their arms as they stood in the train's door, battling one of the staff and gesturing her to get on. All their faces were pinched with worry as their arms continues to flap.

Stella felt rooted to her spot on the platform. Even though she wanted to, she couldn't move. Her mouth hung parted as she watched the train proceed.

"What are you doing!?" Layla's voice boomed, sounding very angry. Her arms were sticking out, ready to pull Stella into the train before it picked up immense speed and chugged away.

"Run, Stella! Run!" Musa shouted hysterically. Finally something in Stella's mind clicked into place and her legs began to move forwards.

"Would you girls just get inside? It's not safe. It's her bad luck that she's missed the train!" A blue uniformed staff member yelled, trying to hold Flora and Bloom away from the door. They were trying to struggle past him but he was as adamant as they were.

"If you don't get him to shut up, then I swear-"

"Layla, let's focus on the problem at hand!" Tecna interrupted.

Time was quickly ticking away, slipping out of their hands and the train was starting to move faster. The tension that encased the girls was growing. Layla, Musa and Tecna, who stood in the threshold, waved their hands as fast as they could and leaned out further.

Stella was panting like a worn out dog as she tried to catch up with the train. Sweat was sliding down her collar bone, her hair which had accumulated air resistance was slowing her down and her throat was burning. She wasn't the fastest runner but her adrenaline rush had given her a bit of a boost. Although, the train was picking up speed by the second!

"Hurry!" Layla shouted; her eyes looked panicked.

"Ah! My bag..." Stella looked behind her, only to find the contents of her bag spilled out on the floor. Her lip quivered.

"Forget it! Just hurry!" Musa called, worry etched in her features.

"Oh, no! What's going to happen, Bloom?" Flora asked frightfully. She had an uneasy look stuck to her face as she looked over the staff member's arm and out the window. Stella's face looked like she'd had enough but her legs were still going. Flora couldn't see it but there was determination flecked in her friend's eyes.

"I don't know." Bloom let out a grunt as she pushed the staff member's arm down. "We should've waited!"

"No point in saying that now!" Layla shouted over the loud chugging of the train. Then immediately went back to stretching out her arm and her eyebrows once again tensed.

"Please, stop struggling!" The man who was holding Bloom and Flora back exclaimed. The two of them just shot him deathly glares and managed to silence him. They then continued to watch the scene with their hearts pounding against their ribcages and could only guess that their friend had a similar plight.

The three that stood in the doorway were whimpering. They couldn't open their mouths to scream encouragingly any longer, the whole situation was much too tense. Layla was holding onto Musa's shoulder to keep herself from falling out while the other two clutched the handles either side of the door with their sweaty grip.

"I don't think she's going to make it! It's too fast!" Flora yelped.

Bloom gasped in realisation and Layla bowed her head. "Oh no…"

Musa could tell that Stella had a stitch in her stomach, making it even harder for her to catch up. She felt responsible. She was the one who had thrown a tantrum and slowed them down, causing the girls to be late for the last train of the morning. And because of that, they had had to jump on the train, leaving Stella. So now the poor girl was running after it. Narrowing her eyes, Musa eyed the platform. She folded her lips inwards as she discerned how risky her motive was going to be.

But she _needed _to do this. On the count of three, she would do it.

Swallowing hard, she calmed herself a little. The thoughts that swam in her mind were pulling her back but her willpower, she knew, was much stronger. She began her mental countdown.

Three.

Two.

One.

She held her breath and leapt off the train. There was only silence as she felt the air surround her, whipping her hair everywhere.

"Musa!" Layla cried, her face one of pure shock. Musa heard the surprised tone in which her name had been called but since she was in the air it sounded faded, like someone was calling from a distance.

The first thing Musa apprehended as her feet touched the ground was the fact that she was still alive. For a second she remained still, breathing normally. But when she felt Stella draw nearer, she broke into a run.

"Stella, try and hold my hand?" Musa called, hurtling down the platform at full speed.

Stella's shoulders dropped in defeat. This task was going to be harder than catching the train. Musa was after all no slow runner. After a lot of panting and tripping, Stella's hand finally slid into her friend's. Then suddenly, she was half flying and half running as Musa pulled her along.

Musa was quick to get to the door in which the girls stood. She huffed twice before swinging Stella in a semi circle around her body and threw her onto the train. Then she braced herself, hoping Stella wouldn't miss and land on the ground. Luckily Tecna and Layla were alert and caught the blonde and helped her aboard. Stella's make up was ruined by the time she stopped burying her face in Tecna's shoulder. Tears of fright were still tumbling down her face. She had truly believed that she would be left behind.

Even though Stella was onboard now, it wasn't over yet. Musa was still running beside the train. And it was disappearing quickly from the Magix Train Station, ready to start zooming through the galaxies to get to its destination. Musa really had to hurry.

"Put out your arms!" Musa shouted, trying hard to be heard above the rush of wind.

Layla mentally kicked herself. She stretched her arm out as far as it would go but Musa wasn't able to reach it. The chances of her being able to were becoming smaller since the train was speeding up and she was getting slower with her lack of energy. Layla's eyes splayed at that fact. "What do we do?" she asked with a tone full of alarm. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends. Tecna was busy comforting Stella, who looked dead and Bloom was dealing with the train staff. Flora, who had managed to get past the uniformed man, was the only one who offered.

"Layla, you have to trust me. I'm going to hold you out, so you can get Musa. Okay?"

There was no time to argue or explain in detail. They _had _to get Musa onboard.

Layla nodded eagerly at the suggestion and flexed her arms. She gulped when she stuck her upper body out of the door; the intense rush of the wind was new to her. It was much stronger than the sea breeze she normally felt whilst surfing. Flora wrapped her arm around Layla's waist to prevent her from falling. Her other hand firmly clung onto the orange handle at the side of the door frame. Layla had been elongated because of her new position. Now Musa was only inches away from her fingertips. But it was hard to grab onto her, the wind was blowing her into her face, making it almost impossible for her to see anything. The best she could do was wave her hands about while she tried to flick her hair out of her face.

Suddenly, a gushing sound rushed past them. The girls' eyes widened and even Bloom ran over to her friends, forgetting about the staff member who she'd cornered.

"Layla, hurry!" Tecna's voice was shaky. Stella and Bloom held onto each other, they both wore the same expression of worry mixed with fear.

Flora closed her eyes. "I can't watch!" It was all too much for her.

Musa was practically drained and ready to collapse onto the platform. She didn't know how her legs were still running. Flora's palms were getting sweaty because of the panic; it was hard for her to keep gripping onto the handle. None of the girls noticed but she was slipping.

She screamed in defeat.

"No!" Stella, Bloom and Tecna wailed in unison.


	2. The breathtaking staircase

**Chapter 2: The breath-taking staircase**

Flora rushed over to her blue haired friend, thrusting a plastic glass of water into her hands. "Here, have a drink."

Musa sat slumped in the middle of Bloom and Tecna, unable to breathe. She could've kept on sprinting, but the enormous rush of fear she'd experienced when she'd seen the train transporting itself into the galactic traffic, had been too much for her. It would be too much for anyone, no matter how calm they were. Fear was a funny thing. On occasion it could be good, yet at other times it could turn around and backstab you like someone who you thought was your friend. In Musa's case, it had made her panic and lose her composure, which was usually controlled so well. She just didn't want to be left behind after all her effort with getting Stella onboard and running behind the train like a cheetah unwilling to give up.

After glancing at the clear liquid, Musa poured it down her throat before taking a few deep breaths.

"Do you know how fast my heart was beating?" Bloom said, resting her palm on her chest.

"At least she's here now," Layla stated. A small smile painted her face as she realised for the fifth time in that minute that everything was okay.

"If it wasn't for us, the three of you would be lying on the platform and your bodies would be covered with bruises."

It was true. If Tecna, Bloom, and Stella hadn't grabbed Layla and Flora, they would have fallen out the train. Even Musa, who was clinging onto Layla at that point in time, would be back where she'd started. The blue haired girl didn't speak. She couldn't. She was completely worn out to the point where she felt paralysed. _'You're alive. You're alive. You're alive! You are alive!'_ Musa repeated it slowly in her mind, gradually getting faster until she was practically screaming it to herself.

"Are you going to make me thank you a second time?" Layla giggled, relief relaxed her features. She'd been through enough for the day. But it wasn't over until they'd dealt with Aunt Ivy and had heard what she had to say.

"I'm just glad we're all unharmed." Flora received nods from the other girls.

"I think it's best if we just forget about it and go to bed. Everyone's exhausted."

"Yeah. But I'm more dead than exhausted. Running for your life sure takes it out of you!" Stella's jokey nature caused the girls to let out some chuckles. It almost felt weird, laughing over the tense event. Nonetheless it made them feel slightly better as they all made for the beds.

Musa yawned while climbing up the metal ladder and flopped onto the bunk bed, letting the weakness she felt drain away. The train the girls were on wasn't one passengers used to get to nearby places. It was for long journeys. The girls' journey in particular was going to last the whole night, so they obviously needed a place to sleep. Of course, that's why the train had cabins, each able to hold up to eight people. In the room the girls were in, there were four pairs of bunk beds at one side and the other side consisted of a long integrated seat and a table. The entire interior was teak, making the place look very cosy. There was also a large window at the far end, looking out at the blurred scenery of the galactic route the train was taking.

Musa flexed her shoulders as she tuned out the girls having a race to see who could change into their pyjamas the quickest. It involved a lot of screaming and giggling, not forgetting the grabbing of Bloom's bag in which all their clothes were. Once everyone was tucked in, pointless conversations about hot guys and their muscles crawled into the room. Musa usually joined in and had a joke with Layla, but today, she just didn't feel like it. Too tried from the hectic evening, Musa shut her eyes and sank into her dream world.

The morning awaited her, though her eyes were closed. It was a new day now, time to forget about everything that had happened previously. It wasn't much of a big deal. It wasn't as if she'd neared death. But still, the shock and fright she'd been through remained with her and was refusing to fade away. It had caused her mind to reel for most part of the night and had left with only a few hours of sleep.

"Okay, wake up sleepy head!" Stella shouted, even though Bloom told her to let Musa sleep. She stood by the side of Musa's bunk, looking over at her best friend.

"Stella!" Bloom groaned, face palming herself.

"Bloom darling, your point was valid an hour ago. Now she's only got half an hour to get ready."

Musa stretched, purposely whacking Stella in the middle of her face. She could've been asleep for another fifteen minutes. She wasn't stupid; she'd set her watch's alarm to wake her up exactly fifteen minutes before they had to get off. That was all the time she needed to get dressed. Plus, she didn't need any extra time to apply her make up since she hadn't taken it off.

"Good morning!" she sang as she jumped off the top bunk. She wore a smirk as she walked past Stella towards the table. The blonde narrowed her eyes and went to check her make-up, just to make sure Musa hadn't ruined it.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" Flora asked as she sipped her tea.

Musa shrugged as she took a seat next to Tecna. "Normal."

"Normal's good." Tecna smiled, passing over a plate of toast.

Musa examined the golden brown bread in front of her. She didn't feel like eating. Besides, she _hated_ cold food. Toast was alright, only when it was hot though. A warm breakfast was more to her taste. "Uh, what is this?" Musa lifted the toast and threw it a disgusted face.

"Um. It's called toast." Layla pointed out. She walked over to the table after packing her bag.

"I know what it's called," Musa shot back. "It just isn't hot."

Tecna laughed. "Too bad. You woke up a bit late to have it hot, Musa."

"They were even serving hot breakfasts but no one wanted one." Layla failed to hide her smirk upon seeing Musa's scrunched up eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's true," Bloom chimed in. She grabbed a bunch of grapes from the fruit bowl and ate them while tidying the room. She wanted to be nice to the train staff since they'd already bothered them so much, otherwise she wouldn't have touched a thing. She wasn't much of a neat freak.

"Someone could've told me!" Musa snapped.

"We didn't want to wake you."

"But Flora, you guys know how much I love hot breakfasts!"

"Oh, suck it up! This is all you've got. So eat it or leave it. No one cares."

The girls were staring at Stella, unable to take in that she'd said that. "Spoken like a true best friend," Layla stated as soon as the silence became awkward and suddenly the girls burst out laughing.

The train drew to a halt and the sound of feet walking speedily and running out the train commenced. The Winx scooped up the last of their things and headed towards the exit. "Home!" Flora exclaimed happily upon stepping out the train. She couldn't contain her joy at arriving on one of the moons of Marigold, known as Linfea, the place where she'd grown up.

It was a serene realm, a naturist's dream. Trees grew everywhere as did flowers, vines and mosses and almost every other plant species you could think of. The bright and pastel colours brought an uplifting feel to the whole realm. It was hard to find anyone upset or depressed here. The inhabitants were always smiling and would go through the worst with a positive attitude. Flora was exactly the same, so it was no wonder she was from there. The girls didn't realise when they'd left the train station, it was practically all covered with vines and flowers, blending into the surroundings perfectly.

The girls took the butterfly bus and were at their destination in a matter of minutes. Flora led them to a tall tree and the girls were skeptical when she told them that Aunt Ivy lived on top of it. At the bottom of the tree was a little door which blended in perfectly with the bark. Flora had to feel around to find the handle but soon pulled it open. Inside the broad trunk were hundreds of stairs which were carved out of the tree's wood itself. The stairs led to a large platform which was used as a balcony outside the front of the house. From it, all the other tree houses hidden among the leaves of the other trees could be seen. Some were wonky and others had a greater number of floors, but other than that, they were similar to each other. The houses sat on the branches of the trees and in every window they possessed, there was a vase of flowers sitting on the sill and that made it clear that the love for nature in the realm was immense, if it wasn't clear already.

"This is effort," Musa huffed as she followed the girls up the spiral staircase. She didn't understand why an old woman would want to climb all those stairs just to get to her house. It just didn't make sense. Another thing that didn't make sense to her was why anyone would want to live atop a tree rather than on the ground.

The tree in which Aunt Ivy's lived was very beautiful. In the spring time it would showcase baby pink blossoms. In the summer it was a luscious green, and in the autumn the many hues of red and brown would adorn its leaves. Linfea had no winter. It was a nature realm after all, and having winter would mean losing all that made up the realm. The girls finally arrived on the platform feeling like they were going to collapse. Stella was sweating and decided to sit on the floor. Musa and Bloom supported each other whilst panting. Layla was wheezing, even though she had a lot of stamina and had thought that she could easily take on the stairs. Tecna had shoved her head in the leaves of the tree and was trying to breathe in fresh oxygen they gave out since she had run out of it in her system. Flora on the other hand was fine. Either she was used to climbing all the stairs or was just too giddy to meet her aunt that she'd forgot about how worn out she was.

"Let's go!" she chirped as she tried to push Bloom and Musa to the door, not that they would budge.

"Let us at least get our breath back?"

"Bloom's right. What impression would us Winx girls make if we look like we've run a thousand miles when we only climbed up some steps?" Musa tried to reason with Flora.

"Some steps?" Layla raised her brows. "There were like twenty million! Every time I looked up thinking they were going to stop, I only saw more and more and more...until I felt dizzy!"

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that ba-"

"Flora, my dear! I knew you were here!" The door swung open, revealing Aunt Ivy.

Musa scoffed upon hearing her words. "Of course you did," she said under her breath.

Bloom nudged Musa as a warning. "Watch it," she hissed, trying not to laugh at Musa's sarcasm.

Musa just shrugged. "Whatever. I'm only here for the cake anyway." She put on a fake smile and went over to greet Aunt Ivy.

"And you are...?"

"Musa, " she replied. Surprised to find that Aunt Ivy didn't already know their names.

"What an unusual name." Aunt Ivy's words came across as an insult. Musa just stared at her, letting her expression reveal nothing. "It's very pretty though," she added quickly.

After all of the girls had greeted Aunt Ivy, they were led into her home. It was very bohemian. You didn't expect it to be like that from the outside since it looked very simple. Although, it wasn't really a surprise since she _was_ a fortune teller.

Musa gaped at the interior as Aunt Ivy led everyone into her fortune telling area, which was enclosed by some large pieces of material hanging from the ceiling. They had the most unusual patterns. In the centre of the space was a round table and inevitably, on top of it sat a glossy crystal ball. Musa rolled her eyes at the sight. The whole atmosphere and decor reminded Musa of the tents that people claiming to be fortune tellers sat in at carnivals. They would charge a lot of money and then tell you rubbish which never actually happened. Musa had always felt that way ever since she was four when a fortune teller told her that she'd always have a happy family; but a few months later, her mother had died, leaving both her and her father broken. There was no happiness in her family life after that event.

"Make yourselves comfortable while I fetch the tea and cakes." Aunt Ivy clasped her hands together and walked off.

Flora's aunt was a rather short woman, though very noticeable, especially with her bright purple hair that ended at her shoulders. She always wore it in curls and held her ringlets in place by spraying on a lot of glitter spray on them every morning. Everything about her stank of it. She wore turquoise framed glasses which were pointed at the ends and formed some sort of spiral around two gems. Her clothes weren't any better. It was hard to say whether she was wearing a dress or a skirt and top. But whatever it was, the material was shiny and in weird shades of normal colours. You wouldn't have guessed that she was Flora's aunt, they looked nothing alike.

The girls, excluding Flora, fidgeted nervously as they sat on beanbags and stools. Musa though wasn't bothered at all. She'd just grab some cakes and then scoff them down, that was her plan.

It didn't take long until Aunt Ivy came back with two trays on either arm. Three of which had mountains of cake on them and the other had a kettle and some cups and saucers. She placed them on the table and gestured towards them. Musa was the first to attack. She kneeled up from her beanbag and grabbed the best looking cake. She selected a large cupcake that had a frightening amount of yellow butter icing on it, topped with sprinkles and chewy sweets in assorted colours.

Aunt Ivy tried to snatch the tray away before Musa took the cake but failed to do so. She crinkled her brows. "That one was for Flora," she barked.

"It's okay. Musa can have it. I don't really like butter icing nowadays." Flora smiled. Musa beamed back and took a bite, instantly falling in love with the vanilla flavour.

It was quite obvious that Aunt Ivy didn't like Musa too much. If it wasn't obvious enough, she got shot a glare from the woman. Then almost suddenly her demeanour changed. "Well, who wants to go first?" she asked enthusiastically.

Everyone exchanged glances, all reluctant to offer. "I will," Layla sighed. She pulled her stool to the table and sat in front of Aunt Ivy. The woman smiled at her before asking for her palm.

"Hang on a second." She quickly disappeared to fetch her tarot cards. They were going to do the real magic.

"She has no fashion sense whatsoever!" Stella complained after she'd licked her fingers clean of icing.

"Pipe down." Musa hissed, giving Stella a serious face.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, the sound of a lot of metal crashing onto the floor sounded from the back of the house where Aunt Ivy had gone. Flora gasped as everyone's eyes widened. After an eerie silence, the sound of someone cussing under their breath could be heard along with a lot of clattering and clacking. Musa gulped as Aunt Ivy's footsteps got closer to the area she was sat in. To say the least, Musa was a little disappointed that she didn't scream in agony or even just in fright.

"Aunt Ivy, are you alright?" Flora stood up looking concerned as the woman came into view.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine," he said, as if she wanted to dismiss the topic. It was a bit embarrassing for her seeing as she could see what was going to happen, yet hadn't seen that everything was going to fall on her.

"What happened?" Bloom asked, being sure to use a polite tone.

"Never mind that. Let's just say I should've got better shelves." Aunt Ivy smiled at Bloom, appearing to be the kindest lady in the world.

Musa pursed her lips. Why didn't Aunt Ivy like her? Musa hadn't exactly done anything wrong. Plus, it wasn't as if Aunt Ivy could look into the past to see what Musa had thought of her whole fortune telling business. She decided to ask, just in case.

"Um, you can't see the past, can you?"

"Why do you ask?" Aunt Ivy narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering."

"Well, then keep on wondering," the woman replied bitterly. Then suddenly she changed her tone to a cheerful one. "Well…Layla-right? Yes. Let's begin."

* * *

><p><strong>'You are reading xxxMusarock's story 'Destiny's Game'. Chapter two has now come to an end. Hope you enjoyed it!'<strong>

**The plot is going to start evolving rapidly from the next chapter onwards. Then our favourite hero is going to appear! Can I have some hoots and cheers please? xD**


	3. Dahlia's story

**Chapter 3: Dahlia's story**

Musa groaned quietly as she sat on the stool in front of Aunt Ivy. It was finally her turn to get her future predicted. Surprisingly enough, Aunt Ivy had chosen her to go last. And she was completely pissed off with the woman. She was unbelievable. Layla and Bloom, who had noticed the way Flora's Aunt would look and talk to Musa, had sprouted a seed of dislike for her as well.

Bloom was annoyed. She couldn't see anyone being discriminated. "Aunt Ivy, why did you pick Musa last?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Even Layla had had enough of being nice and polite to such a woman. "Yeah." Layla wore a bitter look.

Their friends also crinkled their eyebrows at the woman; it made her feel uncomfortable if anything. She stirred. "Because-"

"Because what?" Layla demanded.

"Because I could sense something interesting in her future. You know, save the best till last?" Aunt Ivy laughed weakly.

Bloom's raised her index finger and opened her mouth to say something.

"Guys, forget it. I really don't care." Musa shrugged as she diverted her attention back to Flora's Aunt, who looked almost relieved.

"Yes..." Flora's Aunts eyes darted around the room until everyone returned to their normal expressions of boredom. "Well, give me your hand."

Musa was more alert now, she had looked like she was about to fall asleep a minute earlier. It was the fact that Aunt Ivy seemed to see something interesting in her future that wakened her. She just hoped it wasn't something bad. The purple haired woman examined the lines on Musa's palm before shuffling her tarot cards and setting them out on the desk. She had been slick with the cards, mixing them together at lightning speed.

"Pick, my dear," she said slowly.

Musa glanced at her before regarding the cards. They were tattered and of a dark red colour, with edges of shadowy black. There was some sort of embossed star shaped symbol in the middle, extending to the shorter edges of the card. Musa fingered the spread out deck, almost nervously, gliding her fingertips over the middle of the cards. She had to pick six. She bit her lip before pulling out the cards. Then Aunt Ivy asked her for her date of birth. After that, she studied the tarot cards Musa had picked and determined her life path from Musa's birth date. During the process she made several facial expressions, including ones of surprise and pity as she looked at the information. Musa rubbed her fingers and wondered why Flora's Aunt was taking so long. The other girls had gotten their answers much sooner.

Finally, Aunt Ivy looked up and stared at her. "I-I think I need to look into my crystal ball."

A gasp sounded from Flora and her eyes widened. She knew that Aunt Ivy had given it up due to it being so dangerous. There had been cases where people had tried to change their future and ended up disappearing. And ever since then, the media had gotten their hands on the stories and Aunt Ivy had been forbidden to use it. "But-"

"I know, Flora. I signed a contract agreeing that I wouldn't use it again...but I need to know the outcome. It isn't very clear from the sixth tarot card. It could have multiple meanings."

"Aunt Ivy, you can't. The council banned you for a reason," Flora said sternly, hinting at the past events.

"What's so bad about looking?" Musa asked, turning to face her worried friend.

Flora became uneasy as she struggled for words. She didn't know what to say as a reply.

"Nothing's bad about it, right, Flora? You can't think that that's going to happen again," her Aunt quickly said, trying to avoid the upcoming argument.

"No!" Flora yelled. Tears welled up in her eyes as she got to her feet. "I don't want Musa to die!"

Everyone in the room froze in shock. A brief second later, Flora burst into tears. Tecna was quick to go over to her and wrap her in a hug while Stella looked at Bloom, wondering what was going on. The red head gave her a one shoulder shrug and went back to eyeing Aunt Ivy. Layla was sitting silently, buried in her beanbag, waiting for something to unravel. She gazed at Musa, only to find she was intrigued and not taken aback at all.

"Wh-why would I die?" Musa asked as she glanced at her friends. She had asked the question which they were all dying to know the answer to.

"No. No. It's nothing like that." Aunt Ivy tried to crack a smile as she got up from her chair. She was clearly distracted by Flora. She reached out to her niece but Flora flinched when she felt her aunt's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. We have to leave now," Flora said hoarsely as she vigorously wiped away her tears with her hands.

"Flora, are you sure?" Bloom asked. She wasn't concerned with the reasons behind her friend's tears. If Flora and her Aunt didn't want to tell the girls, then it was probably best to leave it at that.

"Yes, Bloom. Let's go girls."

Without further ado the girls got up and followed Flora to the door. No one said anything. All that was heard were the sounds of feet and breathing, not forgetting the occasional sniff from the brunette.

Musa heard the door creek open and then the sound of her friends faded as they got further down the stairs. She still standing in Aunt Ivy's fortune telling area. Even though Flora had strictly told everyone to leave, she had remained there. This was a matter of her future. It wasn't fair if she was the only one who didn't get a prediction. At first she hadn't been keen on the whole idea of one but now she really wanted to know what was in store for her. She was far too curious to just leave it.

"You better go too, Musa. I don't think Flora would like it if you were still here," Aunt Ivy said. Her eyes showed disappointment. The woman loved Flora just like a mother loves her own child, it was the one thing Musa had been able to figure out about the woman.

"I know. But I have a question." Musa breathed, before gathering enough courage to ask. "What do you see in my future just from the tarot cards and my life path?"

Aunt Ivy's eyes lit up. "I didn't think you were going to ask!"

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't hurt."

"We're going to have to hurry though. Quickly, sit down."

Musa did as she was told and Aunt Ivy began scanning the lines on Musa's palm once again. She traced them with her wrinkled finger before looking straight into Musa's eyes. "Hurdles."

"What? Hurdles?" Musa furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't understand.

"Yes. I see hurdles in the near future. But before that, everything will go smoothly, just as this tarot card shows. It'll be the perfect time to make some new relationships..."

Aunt Ivy carried on explaining what each of the tarot cards meant, but Musa had drifted away. She had gone blank. She didn't need a lesson on what the pictures represented. She was just eager to know what was in store for her, not what she could and should do.

"I get that. But what does it mean? What's going to happen?" Musa asked, cutting Aunt Ivy off.

"Oh. Yes, I should get onto that. My apologies. Right. Okay...you can't tell _anyone _this, but I have to look in the crystal ball. Trust me, nothing's going to happen."

"Then why was Flora so upset?"

Aunt Ivy sighed. "Look, Musa. I'm going to tell you because you deserve to know since this _is_ your future I'm looking into." Her tone was serious and she spoke slowly, almost as if she was uncomfortable.

Musa's eyebrows tensed and her lips parted. "Okay."

"Right. Well. Um. Flora lost her cousin sister about ten years ago," Aunt Ivy began. "Dahlia, Flora's cousin whom she was very close with, was also my daughter."

Musa nearly choked on her saliva. She blinked several times, unable to get over the fact that this woman had had a kid with someone. She sat in her chair, utterly shocked. It didn't take long for her to digest the fact but it seemed strange because the woman didn't have any pictures of her daughter around the house. It was as if she'd never existed.

"My husband died a year after she was born in an accident. And Flora, even though she was only four, felt really sorry for Dahlia. So as she grew up, she started spending more and more time with her and they developed a really strong bond, until..."

Musa could feel it. She knew what Aunt Ivy was about to say. The sudden pause confirmed it. "She died, didn't she?" Musa whispered softly.

The woman bit back her tears. She had told herself that she would never cry over the loss of her daughter but only curse herself. "Yes."

Musa waited, it'd be rude to ask how it had happened or where she was going with her story. After all, she knew how it felt to talk about the loss of someone close. She took a deep breath and gently placed her hand over Aunt Ivy's.

The woman lifted her head. "I'm so sorry. I better hurry up."

"It's fine. I know how it feels to lose someone," Musa forced the words out.

"I know you do. You lost your mother at a young age, didn't you?" The woman placed her free hand on top of Musa's.

"H-how do you...?"

Aunt Ivy smiled.

"Did Flora-?"

"I see things, remember?"

"So that means you _can _see the past...?" Musa's eyes widened. She felt guilty. If this was true then Aunt Ivy knew everything that Musa had said about her and her business.

The woman just snickered before continuing. "Anyway, Dahlia died because of me." Remorse filled her golden eyes.

"What?" Musa breathed, unable to believe it. "How?"

"Because of that." She pointed to the crystal ball. "Her death was written in her near future but I didn't know until both of us looked into the ball. I couldn't get over what was soon to be her reality. I tried to protect her from everything, but you can't change destiny. You can't change your fate, Musa."

Musa was breathing slowly. Now everything added up, the reason Flora was crying, why she was so reluctant to give everyone the reason behind her outburst, and why Aunt Ivy was trying to avoid talking about it.

Flora's Aunt ran her fingers over the velvet table cloth. "I couldn't do anything about it. Later on, I found out that if I hadn't looked, maybe she could've been saved in hospital. But since both of us knew what was going to happen and how it was going to happen, it was inevitable."

"What did you tell everyone?"

"I told them _how_ it happened, but not that we knew."

"What about Flora? How does she know?"

"She brought me flowers the afternoon Dahlia died. I was writing in my diary when she walked in. Then when I went to fetch some tea for her, she read the truth. I tried so hard to convince her that it wasn't true but she wasn't stupid. So I made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone no matter what happen. We've kept this secret to ourselves for so long, but she always gets upset because she was so close to Dahlia. They were like sisters."

Musa sat quietly. She had always thought that her friend had had the perfect childhood. It was nearly impossible to believe the story she was being told since Flora had never let her grief show.

"I felt like a murderer." A shiny tear escaped Aunt Ivy's eye.

Musa closed her eyes. She was going to cry. The story was tragic. She understood the pain in Aunt Ivy's heart, the regret of all the things she hadn't been able to do with her daughter, and the emptiness she went through every day.

"It wasn't your fault."

"No. It was. I had even been told by the wizard who sold me the ball that it shouldn't be used without experience and at that time, I had none. After her death, I focused entirely on my career to get my mind away from her. But I was foolish. I made the same mistake with other clients who looked into the ball. I don't know if they died but it does seem like it since they disappeared and were never found by their loved ones. Anyway, soon after those stories leaked into the media and the council banned me from ever using the ball again. Thankfully I didn't get imprisoned and went on to get all my fame simply by reading the tarot cards and by my gift of being able to see things."

"Wait. If you know that people die after looking into it, then why were you going to use it for me?" Musa was angry. Did the woman hate her that much that she wanted her dead?

"It's not what you're thinking. It's just that everything's unclear. I know how to use the ball now. So you won't disappear. And just to be on the safe side I'll blindfold you and only look myself." Aunt Ivy's words were somewhat reassuring.

"But how do you know it's not going to happen again?"

"It won't. I'm sure of it. Because you won't be able to see anything unlike my old clients, you won't know what's going to happen so you won't be able to change it."

Musa paused as she let her brain process everything.

"You can either know or just leave with what I've said?"

* * *

><p><strong>Should Musa agree or not? Would you after everything she's been told?<strong>

**I know not much happened in this chapter but drama is soon to come! Stay tuned.**


	4. Hardly Believable

**Chapter 4: Hardly believable**

She let out her sucked in breath. "I want to know."

Aunt Ivy smiled. "I thought so." Both of them grinned at the irony of her words. "Ready?"

Musa nodded. The woman cleared the ball of its thin coat of dust which had settled on it over the years. Once that was done, she drew the curtains and stretched her fingers. Neither of them spoke after that. Aunt Ivy used her power to light up the ball and then handed Musa a blindfold. She was going to be missing out on the magic the ball would create around her.

Aunt Ivy's intense eyes bore into the ball. Swirls of magic flew around inside it. A glittery liquid substance could be seen in the ball as well. The cloudiness of it soon disappeared, revealing a bright white light. It was probably the greatest light emitter in the whole realm, it lit up everything. Its rays were so powerful that they could be seen out of the tree house's window. Flora's Aunt winced as she struggled to keep her view on the ball.

Luckily, the girls who were walking away from the giant tree had their heads bowed so they didn't see the ball's light. Otherwise Flora would've definitely rushed back up and dragged Musa away from her aunt. The other girls wouldn't have budged since it would take them a century to climb those stairs again.

Musa had to place her hands on the ball to make it feel her presence. They were then thrown back by its force as Aunt Ivy started chanting some rather odd yet familiar words. Her fingers looked like they were sprinkling something over the ball as she kept chanting. She closed her eyes and leant back.

Musa clutched the side of the stool as the room suddenly turned pitch black. It startled her even though she couldn't see.

Milliseconds later, sparks of light in all the colours of the rainbow filled the space. They circled the crystal ball about two metres above it. The colours then combined, exhibiting several pictures, all in a sequence telling some sort of story. Though it wasn't clear, Aunt Ivy did her best to try and uncover their hidden meanings. Since she had a natural gift for the matter, it wasn't too hard.

Musa was getting restless. She was yet to catch up with the girls and Aunt Ivy still hadn't said anything about what she could see. She had to stop herself from ripping the blindfold from her eyes to witness what was present in front of her.

Though, she wasn't too keen on the idea of ending her life just yet. "Well?" she tempered.

There was a pause before she got an answer. "You're soon going to meet the one for you. In fact, within a fortnight you will meet him in another realm." Aunt Ivy held Musa's choice of tarot cards and referred to them as she looked at each picture.

"But I haven't planned on going anywhere? And I highly doubt my radio company will send me somewhere else, they can't afford it."

"Fate, Musa. It's all written, and it _will_ happen. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Pfft," Musa scoffed, softly.

"You'll meet him near something serene."

"How am I meant to know who he is? I mean, there are a lot of guys in this universe."

"He'll be wearing a raven vest, fraying from the bottom and will be doing something you love doing," Aunt Ivy explained instantly. The pictures the crystal ball displayed weren't as clear as you think. They didn't literally show what Aunt Ivy was telling Musa. They required interpretation; it wasn't something anyone could do. They were like dingbats, easy for some to figure out, not so much for others.

"And remember what I said before?"

"About what?"

"Hurdles. There are going to be lots of hurdles."

Musa absorbed all the information. "Is that it? How's everything going to turn out with...him?" Musa blushed. She was glad Aunt Ivy wasn't able to see the rosy pink colour of her cheeks since none of the light from the ball hit her face.

"I don't know. That has yet to be written," Aunt Ivy lied, sounding very convincing.

The answers were right in front of her face. The woman had worked them out, but if she told Musa, it would ruin her future. Over the years from the past events, Aunt Ivy had realised people should only know a certain amount about their fate; otherwise it could be very dangerous if they knew what awaited them. In Musa's case, she might want to change the outcomes and then the situation would just worsen before it had a chance to resolve, or she might force herself into something that she wouldn't usually go through with.

Aunt Ivy gasped.

"What happened?" Musa inquired as she realised the room had been robbed of the ball's light.

"I can sense that the girls are going to notice you're gone. You have to get to them, now!"

Musa stood up, alarmed. It didn't help that Flora's aunts voice was overflowing with panic. Aunt Ivy quickly grabbed Musa's skinny arm and spun her around. She tugged at the blindfold's knot, and it fell to the ground.

"Thanks for everything." Musa squeezed the woman's hands.

She beamed in return. "It was my pleasure meeting such a wonderful girl like you, Musa. I wish you all the best in your future." She sounded like she was giving Musa a blessing.

Musa smirked before sprinting out of the tree house. She hurtled down the stairs. Luckily, going down them was far easier than climbing up them. It was funny how Aunt Ivy was plump to some degree, even though she used the stairs.

Musa shut the door in the tree before she carried on running. She spared a glance at the tree house and found Aunt Ivy waving at her. She stopped and waved back. Realising she had been too quick to judge Flora's aunt, she apologised mentally. It was a common mistake. Though, it wasn't really Musa's fault that Aunt Ivy had acted that way towards her; she didn't exactly know that Aunt Ivy could read peoples past thoughts. Musa smiled at her foolishness as she sprinted after the girls. It took about three minutes until Musa caught up with them. They were walking really slowly so they hadn't gotten very far. She stopped ten metres behind them, and then rapidly tip toed to join the back of the group. If anyone noticed she'd just joined them, an interrogation would start.

Layla looked behind her and smiled at Musa as if she'd been there all along. Musa held her breath; otherwise Layla would know something was up since she sounded like a panting dog. After smiling back, Musa shuffled to Flora and encased her in a warm hug. Only Musa could imagine what Flora was going through since she knew the story behind her tears. "Forget about it, Flo. Let's just get back and have coffees or something?"

"I like Musa's suggestion." Stella agreed, linking arms with Musa despite the fact she was meant to be mad with the blue haired girl.

Before they knew it, the girls were on the train, heading back to Magix. No one said anything as they all sat around the table. Musa decided to break the silence with something quite unexpected. "Hey, Flora, your aunt is pretty awesome."

"What?" Layla and Stella spat in disbelief. Bloom scoffed. And Tecna just thought Musa had been spelled, there wasn't a better conclusion in her mind.

Flora looked up, her eyebrows furrowed. "But you didn't get along...?"

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind. She's not too bad."

"Musa, I think you've lost it!" Layla stated, placing her chin in her palm.

"Think whatever you like." Musa shrugged.

"This is going to be a long journey..." Bloom moaned and collapsed on the table. The other girls laughed.

The Winx arrived back in Magic late in the afternoon, considering they had arrived in Linfea early in the morning.

"Finally," Stella huffed. "We can turn on our phones!"

Thankfully Stella kept her phone in her pocket and not in her bag; otherwise she'd have lost it when her bag fell on the platform.

"Let's see...podcast, podcast...thirteen emails and oooh, a message...from my dad." Stella's hopes were doused like a flame. She'd hoped it was from one of the guys she'd texted, asking if they were free. Stella had been single for far too long and she didn't like it, so now she was doing the asking.

Musa laughed at Stella's sheer look of disappointment. Because the two were best friends, Musa knew about Stella's desperate attempts to get a boyfriend.

"What's so funny?" Bloom asked, trying to hold back her laughs.

"Stop laughing, Musa! Your laughs are contagious!" Layla smiled.

"I'm sorry..." Musa clutched her stomach. "Well..."

"No, Musa, you can't tell them!" Stella hissed, almost begging.

"If that's the case, then I would definitely like to know!" Tecna chimed in.

"Me too! Tell us, Musa," Flora's eyes glimmered with curiosity. She didn't normally poke her nose into other people's matters, but this was Stella and it was fun.

"Glad to have you back, Flo." Layla put an arm around Flora and two beamed at each other.

"Hey, are you going to listen now?" Musa asked just to make sure she got everyone's attention.

"Musa, no..." Stella groaned. She buried her face into her hands.

Musa gave Stella her best grin and turned to the girls. "Well, Stella-"

* * *

><p><strong>Hardly believable or believable? <strong>**You now have a vague idea of where this is going. Did you guys seriously not think of it when you found out Aunt Ivy was a fortune teller and that Riven's in the story? xD**

**Anyway, apologies for the shortness.**


	5. A lick and verbal slap

**Chapter 5: A lick and verbal slap**

"No!" Stella put her hand on Musa's mouth to prevent her from saying anything else.

Musa wriggled in her grip. She knew how to get rid of her. She stuck her tongue out and licked Stella's palm.

"Ewwww!" The blonde screamed, jumping back.

"Get off me, or I'll scream it to the whole street! You can choose?" Musa smirked. One way or another, she was bound to get her way with Stella, unless the blonde was on a rampage.

Stella frowned. There was no way out now. "You can tell them," she sighed, cursing the day she gave in to Musa when she asked what Stella was doing on her phone for so long. Musa wouldn't have asked about it, but after Stella had texted all of the guys, she had stared at her phone day and night for the next three days, waiting for a response. That act made Musa suspicious, and most people in that situation would be curious.

"Love you, Stel!" Musa cracked an evil grin while Stella turned away.

This was going to be humiliating for her. Sometimes she'd wonder how she'd managed to do it. Was she really that desperate? And to make Stella feel even worse was the fact that she hadn't gotten a single reply back, and it'd been over a week. It was total crash and burn.

"Okay. So basically, Miss single Stella-"

"Thanks for that, M." Stella flaunted a fake smile.

As the other girls stood in great curiosity and while Musa sniggered, Stella sighed heavily and bowed her head.

"Right. As I was saying: Miss single Stella, in desperate attempts to score a boyfriend, texted every guy in her contact list, asking them out."

"Okay..." Bloom said slowly, narrowing her eyes.

"None of them have replied!" Musa burst out laughing, she was soon joined my Layla who quietly giggled.

"I don't get what's so funny?"

"I'm with Flora. Maybe the guys haven't had enough time to reply?" Bloom looked at Musa for an answer.

Musa sighed as she got a grip and stopped laughing. "Oh, I think they have. It's been over a week!" Musa stated bluntly.

"Oh." Bloom said under her breath.

By the time Bloom glanced at Flora, she was gasping for air. The laughter sounding from Musa was so contagious. The blue haired girl was almost in tears.

"That is classic!" Layla laughed, wiping a tear from her left eye.

"I know..." Musa panted, stealing a breath before dying of laughter again.

Tecna scanned Stella, her lips were pursed in a pout. She didn't look very happy, which just made Tecna smile then break out into giggles. Tecna then laughed behind her palm before smacking her thigh with her hand and crying with laughter.

Some of the passer by's observed the girls as some sort of druggies; others thought they were high on laughing gas.

Bloom looked at each of the girls. She had calmed herself down after she'd laughed for a few seconds. She let out another set of giggles before stumbling over to Stella.

"Awwh, it's okay, Stel." Bloom put her arm around her friend.

Stella moved her lips from side to side. "Bloom, I've never been embarrassed or laughed at like this in my life. Ever!"

"Oh, come on! Cheer up. It's not that bad."

"Um, even Flora's laughing and you're telling me that it's not bad?" Stella was appalled.

Bloom sighed. "You'll get over it before you know it."

"I doubt that, Bloom." Musa smiled smugly, "I'm not going to let her live it down."

"Oh, great!" Stella crossed her arms.

"Whatever. Let's just go get some coffees?" Bloom took Musa's wrist and started walking towards the high street, where all the cafes and shops were located. Stella trailed behind them. "Come on, you guys!" Bloom called, referring to Tecna, Layla and Flora.

The girls shortly arrived at a cyber coffee shop. Tecna barged past everyone and attacked the only free computer. The people beside her gave her weird looks, but they obviously didn't know about her obsession with technology. The girls got a table behind Tecna, so she could hear and join in with their conversation.

"Hey, Musa, he looks cute for you," Flora discreetly pointed to a man with grey hair and glasses.

"Ha-ha. Hilarious, Flo." Musa half closed her eyes.

"I know am!" Flora played along, earning a nudge from Musa. Anyone who didn't know Flora properly would assume she was some boring, nature obsessed sweetheart. That would only be half right. Flora also had a fun side that only ever surfaced when she was out with her friends.

The girls flipped through the menu, including Tecna who browsed through the online one. You'd find everything in there, from cocktails to soft drinks and every type of coffee you could think of, as well as a few coffees infused with a touch of magic which acted in the same way as alcohol.

Luckily, the Winx girls were sane, or I should hope so, so they didn't order any of those. Though, it was tempting since the girls had only ever tried them once and had shown no affect. Layla had dragged everyone away before the waitresses were able to force them into buying more to become tipsy.

The girls signalled to a waiter and ordered.

Stella bit her bottom lip and stared dreamily at the waiter. She placed her chin in the palm of one of her hands and twirled her hair with the other.

Musa started a nudging Chinese whisper. She nudged Flora, who nudged Bloom, who nudged Layla who stopped herself from nudging Stella. The girls exchanged amused smirks and stared at the blonde. Stella was too busy in her dream world and didn't notice her friends bearing their eyes into her.

Tecna smiled at the computer screen. She'd just finished downloading some new software onto her mini laptop. The downloading of it couldn't wait until she got home, she needed it; otherwise Tecna would have a malfunction in her self control system. She unplugged the cable connecting her laptop to the computer and strolled over to the girls' table.

"What's going on?" Tecna asked, eyeing the girls. Everything seemed too calm and silent, meaning something was up.

Layla chuckled. "Other than Stella eyeing up our waiter..."

"And having the hots for him," added Flora.

"And being turned on by him," added Musa.

"_And _undressing him with her eyes...nothing much." Bloom finished. The girls looked at each other and snickered.

"I see..." Tecna nodded gobsmacked, with her eyes wide.

"Oh, and did we mention picturing herself and him in bed, sleeping together?" Musa smirked.

Layla, Flora and Bloom howled as Tecna sank into a chair.

"No...I believe you didn't." Tecna said slowly. She was disgusted to say the least, but she did know it was a joke. Although, when she focused on Stella who was still in her trance, she doubted it.

The waiter arrived with their drinks, perfectly balancing the tray on his hand.

"Musa, I think you should nudge Stella before she starts drooling!" Bloom whispered from across the table.

Musa nodded and elbowed Stella, so hard that the blonde flinched, hitting her knees on top of the table. "Owww!" Stella screamed.

"Here you are ladies." The waiter placed their drinks in the centre of the table. Stella blushed when she realised that she'd just screamed in the waiters face. "Oh, and please make sure your friend takes her pills," he added smoothly, referring to Stella.

Layla and Bloom held back their laughter.

Stella sat like a statue as the corners of her eyes began to water.

"Uh oh." Musa cringed, fearing the tsunami of tears or the flood of swearing or even the tidal wave of kicks and punches coming her way.

Stella held it together though. She wasn't going to cry in public. She shut her eyes and clenched her hands into fists. Being humiliated by someone she didn't know was something Stella hated; she feared it.

Tecna and Flora looked at each other uneasily. Musa swallowed. The other two were still too busy trying to contain themselves. Bloom had tried to sip her coffee but had ended up spluttering it all over her area of the table.

Seconds passed yet Stella didn't do anything. The girls expected an outburst or something along those lines. But they got nothing, not even a sniffle.

"Let's leave." Stella exclaimed calmly. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave everyone a warm smile. She pushed her chair back and headed towards the door.

The girls blinked twice before looking at each other, astonished.

Musa jerked her head in Stella's direction. "What about our drinks!" She got no reply.

"Let's just go." Flora urged.

They all stood up and made their way out of the door.

"Hang on a second, I'll pay." Layla offered and went over to the till.

Stella waited patiently outside the cafe where no one could see her. The girls soon made their way out and joined her. The five of them awkwardly stood, fidgeting with their fingers and pursing their lips as an uneasy silence hovered over them.

"Um, sorry?" Musa giggled sheepishly.

Stella stuck her nose in the air and stalked off towards her apartment she shared with Musa.

"Well, um..." Musa looked at the ground.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will be fine in the morning." Bloom assured.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to live with her!" Musa snapped. Musa tilted her head back so she was looking at the sky and frowned.

"It also doesn't help that it was Musa who made her scream in pain 'cause of her nudge." Layla pointed out, adding salt to the wound.

Flora nodded, agreeing to Layla's sentence.

"Well, Musa could stay around one of ours until Stella cools down?" Tecna suggested. It was the most logical thing she could think of in this circumstance.

"No way!" Bloom rejected the idea.

"Why not?" Flora asked, her brows furrowed. Layla shared the same expression, while Musa sulked.

"That would just make matters worse. If you've done something wrong, you shouldn't just hide from it or forget it. You should try and fix it. Meaning, Musa should confront Stella and sort everything out." Bloom explained. She wondered why the girls didn't just use their common sense.

"Bloom's right." Layla agreed with a serious face.

"Thank you." Bloom beamed. "Musa you have to live with her, you can't just avoid her for the rest of your life!"

"I understand that. But it wasn't even a big deal! She didn't know him and it's not like she's going to see him again, right? So why was she upset about it?"

"She did want to see him again though." Flora mentioned.

"That's not the point. Besides, there are plenty of other guys out there! He wasn't special!" Musa argued, trying to free herself from the task of making Stella forgive her. It would be as hard as trying to get a newborn baby to talk.

"Musa, just shut up and go after her. She's _your _best friend and it was your mistake for nudging her that harshly when he was right there!" Layla cried.

"But-"

"I don't want to hear a thing." Bloom shook her head.

Tecna gave Musa a stern look.

"You too, Tec?"

"Sorry, Musa. But now that they put it that way, they have got a point."

"But-"

"Musa!" Flora looked at her friend with big eyes. "Gosh, you are so darn stubborn! Just go!"

"Yeah. We'll see you soon." Bloom turned on her heel.

"Or hear you soon!" Layla laughed at her own joke which no one else got. She was referring to hearing Musa on the radio in the morning, but no one understood.

"What?" Flora looked from Layla to Musa, dumbfound.

"Hey, Tec, I can give you a lift if you want? I'll be passing your house anyway." Bloom called, turning her head to face her group of friend who still stood idle.

"Sure. Let's go." Tecna left along with Bloom towards the car park.

"I better go too," Flora spoke, looking at the time on her watch. She gave Musa and Layla a brief hug before running off to catch the bus which was just about to leave from the stop.

"Musa, why are you still standing here? You were meant to leave a while ago."

"I'm not the only one standing here, you are too, Layla."

"Fine. I'm leaving now, so go!" Layla hurried down the street to her apartment which was nearby the cafe.

Musa whined before shuffling towards her apartment. She was halfway there until she realised she didn't have her keys. "Crap."

* * *

><p><strong>Haha, Musa's locked out and Stella's mad at her AND they live in the same apartment. Would guys be able to cope if you had to live with Stella?<strong>

**As you know, I love your feedback so drop me a review! **


	6. Captured memories

**Chapter 6: Captured memories**

Musa frowned as she looked at the door in front of her. After dragging her feet up a few fleets of stairs, she had finally made it to her apartment. She didn't dare to knock.

Her hand would brush against the door but then she'd withdraw it like you would if you touched a hot surface. "I can't believe this is happening to me..." Musa mumbled. She cursed her luck.

After Layla had abandoned her, Musa was forced to make her way home. She had killed as much time as she could by sitting in a smoothie shop and sipping the drink at one sip per hour. The staff had had to kick her out because she'd stayed there way past closing time.

After she was thrown out, she'd peered into many boutiques and browsed many collections. She'd even considered spending the night in one of Magix's night clubs, but realised that she needed sleep in order to get to her radio job on time the following morning.

She groaned and rested her head on the wall next to the door. _'Why am I acting like such a coward? This is my apartment too!' _Even though she'd told herself that, she still couldn't bring herself to knock. After all, it was Stella she had to deal with. Plus, the blonde wouldn't open the door to her blue haired friend, who had made her face humiliation twice in that day, that easily.

"Okay. That's enough, Musa. You can do this..." She squeezed her fists tighter and swallowed. She was just about to tap on the door when she had second thoughts. "Maybe I should dress up as someone else or...I know! I could spend the night in the studio."Her lips cracked into a smile as she turned on her heel.

Musa was just about to take a step down the stairs when she apprehended that the studio would be closed, considering the last show always finished at eleven and then everyone would leave and continuous tracks would be played throughout the night for anyone that was still listening.

She groaned and then looked at the door again. "I might as well just sleep out here..." she whispered.

As irritated as she was, she still didn't have any courage to knock. She slid down the wall and made herself comfortable on the floor. She searched everywhere in her mind hoping there would be someone she recalled giving a spare key to. "What the hell? I don't even have a spare key!" she face palmed when that fact sank deep into her brain.

Her consistent scowl was still on her face as she pressed her mobile onto her ear.

"Hello?" A groggy voice answered from the other end.

Musa's scowl turned upside down and formed a wide grin. "Hey, Tec! What's up?"

Tecna sighed as she buried her head into her pillow. "Musa, this is no time to have a casual conversation. I was asleep before you called. Goodnight."

"No!" Musa yelled into the microphone making Tecna wince.

"What now?" Another frustrated sigh sounded from Tecna's line.

"I need you to help me!"

"Musa, where are you?" Tecna queried, clearly worried after Musa's desperate plead filled with panic.

"Outside my apartment."

Tecna rolled her eyes at Musa's blunt statement. She sighed again, relieved that Musa hadn't been captured or anything. "What are you doing there?" Tecna asked after a long pause.

"Nothing much, just casually sitting outside like a tramp, afraid to knock because Stella's going to bite my head off! I'm dying of starvation here!" Musa replied angrily, almost crushing the phone in her palm.

"Goodnight, Musa." Tecna smiled on the other end.

"Tec, no! You can't just hang up. I thought you understood!"

"Sweet dreams!" The pink haired girl exclaimed.

"Please, Tec! Can't I come over to your house tonight? Don't do this to me, Tec! You can't leave me like this! Tec, no! Don't you dare..."

Musa held her breath awaiting a reply but she got nothing. All she could hear was a low pitched droning sound from the speaker.

"This day just gets better and better. I didn't even get a chance to ask if she could make me a duplicate key!" Musa put her face in her hands. She grumbled something else under her breath before getting to her feet.

Musa was about to pound her fists on the door and scream at Stella; except, the sound of sniffling she picked up with her sonar ears stopped her from doing so. Instead, she gently knocked on the door and waited patiently.

Musa had been standing outside in the cold corridor for over a minute, waiting for Stella to open the door. "I bet she isn't even coming, knowing that cow..." Musa narrowed her eyes at the door and started waiting again.

It was obvious that Stella knew it was Musa since no one knocks on your door at almost midnight.

She growled when she noticed that she couldn't gather any movement from inside indicating Stella was coming for the door.

"That little..." Musa lifted her fist and was about to commence with knocking relentlessly, but the door creaked open and Musa witnessed Stella dabbing away at her tears with a soaked tissue. "Umm...I forgot my key."

Stella didn't reply, instead, she turned away and walked back to her original spot on the couch.

Musa shrugged and let herself in. She noticed an empty tub of mango ice-cream lying beside the couch and several tissues were littered around it as well. Musa had bought that tub of ice cream for herself and had even labelled that it was hers, but the blonde had eaten it despite the label. _'Suppose I owed it to her.' _Musa thought as she opened her bedroom door.

Her room was literally covered in posters of her favourite bands, most happening to be sexy young men in black attire. The centre piece in her room was of her huge collage of various pictures, taking up a third of the wall.

She stopped in front of it and pouted. About half of the pictures were of her and Stella. They went everywhere together. Musa beamed as her hand skimmed over the surface of her favourite pictures, they included ones of herself and Stella in crazy poses at school, ones that brought back loads of memories from when they went travelling to different realms and ones of them just in their everyday lives, smiling and just genuinely having a good time together with the rest of their friends.

Musa laughed lightly and dropped her head. She loved Stella to bits; the two were best friends. This was probably the longest they'd ever been avoiding each other. Sure there had been many occasions when they'd fall out, argue and walk out of the house, but it only took a few hours for them to put everything behind them and act like nothing had happened. If they weren't able to do that, Musa and Stella would've never considered living together in the first place.

Musa tugged on her towel and ended up with a bunch of shirts all over her head. "That obviously isn't my towel..." Musa shook her head and chucked her green cardigan on the ground. Then she headed to her bathroom and found her pale green towel waiting for her.

She rolled her eyes and slipped into the shower. She stood there, letting the warm water drain her fatigue from that day.

"Oh, my god!" Musa exclaimed in an excited whisper over the noise of the water. A smile was glued to her face as she jumped out of the bath tub, dried her body and hurriedly put on her pyjama's.

Musa grabbed what she needed and ran out of the room.

Stella was encased in warm blankets with her eyes set on the television. One of her favourite soaps was on a run on and she couldn't help but stare at the screen. It was just some teenage drama which involved a lot of heart breaks and heated kissing with no real plot or objective. Stella however, loved it all the same.

Musa crept up behind the blonde, dropped something on her friends lap and perched on the arm chair next to the couch.

Stella furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at the deck of photos and hit the 'mute' button on the remote. The blonde carefully picked them up and examined the first one.

Musa had on a small smile and cleared her throat. "Flora took that one. It was the time me and you fell into that bush in the middle of Magix..."

"...on our first ever shopping trip with the girls." Stella finished in a whisper, nodding.

"Yeah. It was also the time you insisted on wearing nine inch heels." Musa added with a smirk on her face.

Stella breathed out and moved on to the next picture, sliding the previous one under the small pile.

Musa strained her neck to see the new picture. This had to be one of her favourites. "Remember that one?"

"Uh-huh." Stella nodded, smiling at the picture. "It was taken when we were in that cocktail bar in Calcue." The girls had pouts on their faces, and were holding their drinks high in the air as they danced to the rhythm in their bikini top and shorts.

Calcue was a very hot realm. Palm trees could be seen everywhere and the locals lived next to the sea-side, most owning beautiful restaurants serving the best seafood in the magical universe. Stella and Musa had gone there for a holiday together.

Musa grinned as Stella went through some more pictures.

One picture was of the pair of them lying on the beach with their sunglasses propped on their heads. Another was of their group of friends and them sitting high up in a tree. One was of when they moved in together and were decorating the place, the next one was of the two pulling faces and another was of them at their graduation. There were also some embarrassing ones of both of them, more from their various holidays and ones when they seemed to have had a battle with the person behind the camera.

The blonde's eyes widened when she came across the picture of her and Musa dressed as clowns at Bloom's fancy dress party. The girls looked annoyed in the picture and in the background you could see Tecna and Flora laughing at them.

Stella swallowed in an attempt to get rid of the tears that had pooled in her caramel eyes. She looked up at Musa with a confused expression. "Where did you get these?"

The raven haired girl paused and stared at her friend. "From everywhere."

Stella furrowed her brows; she never went into Musa's room so she'd never seen her best friend's collage.

"They bring back so many memories, right?"

Stella glanced from Musa to the pictures and nodded.

Musa let out a sigh as they went quiet. "Stel, we've been best friends for ages. I can't even begin to count how many good times we've had. These pictures just captured some of them. I know that we haven't always gotten along but neither of us have ever held grudges with each other for this long!"

Stella listened intently to Musa's every word.

"We've been through everything, from picking each other up to forcing each another to go for our dreams. I couldn't imagine not living with you. You're my bestest bestest friend and I hate that you're crying because of what I did; but I swear, I didn't do it on purpose! Is there maybe a possibility of you forgiving me, ever?"

Musa looked hopefully at Stella who maintained a straight face. Then she looked at the ground and smirked, "Musa, I-uhh, wasn't crying over what happened. I was crying because Shayne just threw Louise out of his house!" Stella admitted, referring to the TV soap she'd just been watching.

Musa blinked. She was lost for words. "Y-you mean you weren't crying because that waiter guy thought you were mental?"

"Nope."

"And you mean that you're not even mad at me?"

Stella shook her head. "Nu-uh."

"So you mean I just poured out all my feelings in my short lecture for _nothing?_"

"N-I mean, yep."

Musa's lips parted as she watched the blonde giggle. "You...you bitch!" Musa threw a sofa cushion at Stella's face.

"Hey!" Stella narrowed her eyes at Musa and lunged at her with the cushion.

"You're in for it now, blondie!" Musa laughed as she ran after Stella with cushions in both fists.

They ended up on the floor with a sea of cushions underneath them. They'd never realised they had so many cushions; the strange thing was, they were all different.

The girls panted lightly as they finished laughing. Musa closed her eyes with a content smile on her face.

"Ow!" Musa's eyes shot open and she shot a death glare at Stella who had just smacked a cushion on Musa's flat stomach.

"Oh, come on! That didn't even hurt!" Stella rolled her eyes. Musa had a habit for crying out in pain when something didn't even hurt.

"How would you know?"

"Whatever." Stella turned to face Musa who crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hmph."

"M?"

"Yes?" Musa asked through gritted teeth.

Stella sat up and stretched. "That boyfriend of yours called a few hours ago. He was asking for you, saying he had something important to tell you."

Musa bolted into a sitting position. "He is not my boyfriend!" Musa snapped.

Stella just shrugged it off with a smirk.

"I'm serious!"

"Yeah, yeah." Stella flopped into the cushions again and put her arms behind her head.

"Stella!"

"What? Seriously, you two always look like you're going to be jumping on top of each other at any second!"

"Um, no. He just likes to touch me whenever he can." Musa scrunched up her face and shook away the bad memories that clung onto her.

"What's his name? Oh, yes, Andy. Who is he anyway?" Stella asked, curious to know who the rather good looking guy was.

"He's my guitarist."

"Your guitarist? Ooooh!" Stella wiggled her eyebrows and wolf whistled.

"It's not like that! Argh!" Musa glared at Stella with spite.

Stella chuckled. It was amusing making Musa fiery.

They had dropped the subject and just sat there as silence surrounded them. Musa had been observing Stella for a while now, something was definitely going on.

"You like him, don't you?" Musa broke the silence.

Stella looked up from her red fingernails. "Who?" she asked innocently.

Musa gave Stella an eye roll. "Don't pretend you don't know! I was talking about Andy."

"Andy. Ah. Who's that again?"

Musa rolled her eyes again. "Very funny."

Musa's intense stare and her intimidating single eyebrow raise made Stella give in. "Yes. It's true. I like him, a lot!" Stella buried her face in her palms.

Musa smiled while placing her cold hand on Stella's shoulder. "No need to be embarrassed. Why don't you just tell him you like him?"

"Because he likes you!" Stella yelled at Musa, withdrawing her face from her hands.

"Andy does not- What?" Musa's eyes grew wide and she stared at Stella, bewildered.

"Why else do you think he keeps coming over to our place? Plus, he's always glued to you! Don't you see it?" Stella inquired, astonished.

Musa shook her head. "You've got it all wrong!"

"How?"

"Andy...well, he just does that." Musa struggled. An uncomfortable feeling settled over her.

"Musa, no one just 'does that'!" Stella argued. The blonde had a point.

"Yeah, but..." Musa looked down at her lap and fumbled with her fingers. She didn't know why she didn't want to accept it. Musa didn't like Andy in that way, he was just her co-worker. And if he'd supposedly developed feelings for her, then it was his problem.

"But what?" Stella challenged. She had a small frown on her face. She liked Andy and it killed her to see that he liked Musa.

"I don't know?" Musa whispered and rest her chin in her palm.

"Exactly."

Musa scratched her head. None of this made sense to her. She had never seen Andy's eyes hold love for her. They just worked. Yes, he got close to her whenever he could but that just always made Musa feel awkward and never tingly.

Musa sighed. "I think he's just desperate."

"Pfft! He could probably get any- I repeat, _any _girl he wants. He's so gorgeous!" Stella bit her lip dreamily.

"Maybe so. But he doesn't like me! I don't know why he acts like that around me though?"

"There's only one answer to that and you know it." Stella stated.

"That he's a pervert?"

Stella growled. "Don't call him that! He is not! The answer is: he likes you!"

"No, Stel. I would've seen it in his eyes."

"Musa, you can't read eyes! There is no other reason why he does that! Don't forget that he comes here like every week and tries to have a private conversation with you in your room, but you just reject the idea!"

Musa held her breath. She bowed her head. It was official now. Andy did like her and Stella was for once, was right.

"You're not scared are you, Musa?" Stella asked when Musa didn't say anything in defence.

Musa let go of her breath. "No. I just don't like him. I know he's irresistibly hot and nice, but I'm not attracted to him. To me, we're just work mates."

"Are you just saying that because I like him?" Stella's eyes were half hooded. She wasn't the type of best friend who'd steal the guy Musa liked. Stella really did want a boyfriend but she wouldn't ever take Andy away from Musa. Stella thought that Musa also had those feelings towards her and that's why she was denying it.

"No! I seriously don't like him. What he does is just plain creepy! When he first started doing that, I was thinking of firing him but when I did some auditions for new guitarists, no one was as good as him! Plus, he only comes to our apartment to discuss music."

"But in reality he wants to confess to you!" Stella sang.

Musa was just about to bite back but the landline phone rang. Musa clenched her fists and got up to get it.

"Hello?" she said angrily, already pissed at the person on the other end for calling this late at night. It didn't matter if she hadn't been asleep; it was just stupid to call someone this late.

"Hey, Muse."

Stella gazed at Musa, realising in an instant that it was Andy because Musa's nostrils flared.

"It's Musa."

"Whoa! What's up with you? Did I wake you?"

"Shut up, and cut to the chase." Musa barked into the microphone. She didn't usually talk to Andy in that manner, but the conversation, or should I say argument with Stella about him, had made her take a different approach.

She'd thought about the whole thing in her head. Maybe she'd lead him on? She was always very nice to him, especially with kissing him on the cheek as a 'well done' when he played a mind blowing riff, but she just did that as a friend. Being slightly mean to him would hopefully change his feelings towards her, or so she thought.

Andy furrowed his eyebrows on the other end. "Um, well, I just called to tell you to pack."

"I'm sorry?" Musa plopped down beside Stella, who just listened to what Musa said and tried to make out what the conversation was about.

"We're going to Breconize to cover an all night festival. The best of the best are said to be playing there!"

Musa didn't know what to say, she just stuttered. Had Andy just asked her to go out with him, and that too to a whole new realm for their first date? To say the least, it sounded expensive. Did he like her so much that he needed to do that just to impress her?

"C-couldn't this wait till tomorrow?"

The green monster of envy started to crawl out of his home within Stella. She thought that Andy had just asked Musa to go on a date, or had told her how he felt towards her. Even though she cared about Musa so much not to hurt her, she couldn't help but feel jealous at her success with the black haired guitarist.

"No!" he laughed. "We're going at noon tomorrow so you don't have much time!"

Musa wore a bemused expression. "What? Wait, why are we going?"

"We had no choice. The radio company's sending us. They want some amazing stories, interviews with the bands there and their music to be featured in their magazine they're bringing out." Andy explained.

Relief washed over Musa. So this wasn't a date, just some work. She laughed quietly at her dumbness. "How did they afford it?" she asked in a pleasant tone, confusing Andy even more. Though, he resolved his confusion by assuming she was happy to be going.

"Don't ask me! Even I was surprised!"

"Well, anything else?"

"Umm...yes actually. There are spare tickets because buying more was apparently cheaper than buying just two, so you can take whoever you want."

"Okay, then it's definitely Stella and the girls!" Musa replied giddily. She couldn't wait for the trip.

She put down the phone after confirming details and then embraced Stella, who was in a daze.

Musa couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Not only was she going to go to one of the biggest festivals with her best friends, Aunt Ivy's prediction of her travelling to another realm was coming true and she knew what that lead on to.

* * *

><p><strong>Longest chapter yet! I thought you guys deserved a treat since I've been busy as school's reopened and I had no time to write. <strong>

**Anyway, the fun is about to begin but everything's going to be twisted, especially since lovedrunk Andy is coming along! Is is just me or does anyone else find him to be quite hot? **

**Review, review, review! Otherwise you know what happens: I lose motivation and you have to wait ages until you get the next chappy! xD **


	7. Bad timing

**Chapter 7: Bad timing**

Much to Stella's surprise, the roles had been switched around. It was now her waiting by the front door for Musa, who was hyperventilating on her outfit choices. After all, this was going to be no ordinary get away for her.

She wasn't worried about how she would look when she faced many of the world's greatest bands; she was more worried about how she'd look in front of her supposed life partner.

"I should've left myself more time!" mumbled Musa as she moved through her room which was in great disarray. It wasn't until Stella screamed at her when Musa decided to pick up the pace. She soon gathered what she thought to be decent pieces of clothing and accessories and stuffed them into her suitcase. She wouldn't call it a job well done but at least she was done with her worrying until she unpacked.

Musa was also satisfied that Stella and the girls were coming with her. That meant she could borrow their clothing if she figured that she didn't approve of hers.

Stella ran a hand through her hair after shouting at Musa. She jumped back when the sudden knocking at the door sounded, it had startled her.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down before going to open the door to Andy, who was obviously early. Stella hadn't made a special effort to look good or anything, she had enough assurance that she always looked great, but the main reason was that she didn't want Musa to get suspicious.

The door swung open, revealing four very giddy looking fairies.

"Hey, Stel. You guys ready?" greeted Bloom as she walked past a disappointed Stella.

"Looks like she's out of it, again." Layla rolled her eyes and proceeded with smacking Stella on her arm.

"Hey," Stella groaned, not showing any signs of pain in her voice, even though Layla's hard hit did make an impact on her. "If anyone decides to whack me again, then I swear..."

"Stella, please would you calm down." Tecna said, walking away from Stella's gradually narrowing eyes.

Flora sighed, knowing the usual banter of the girls would never cease until someone changed the subject to a more serious one. "Is Andy here yet? I don't want to be late for the departure."

"Don't sweat it, Flo. Andy's very punctual." Musa declared as she hauled her suitcases into the living area.

"Well, if he is, then he should be here...exactly, now." The door bell rang just as Tecna finished her sentence. The girls giggled.

Musa was just about to head for the door but Stella stopped her. "I'll get it!" she smiled sheepishly, before lunging at the door.

Within a few clicks, it was wide open.

"Hey, Andy." Stella smiled shyly, not forgetting to bat her eyelashes at him.

"Um, uhh, hey." He ignored Stella and let himself in. "Musa?"

"Right here!" Musa announced, making her way through her friends.

Andy's eyes sparkled as she came into full view. "You look great," he passed his compliment with ease.

Musa grinned and did a little twirl. She wore an aquamarine number that ended three quarters of the way down her thighs. It had a deep V-neck, stopping at the start of the stomach; there, it was belted with a chunky black belt. For her shoes, she wore a pair of patent black heels that matched her belt perfectly.

"Thanks," Musa replied, her cheeks flushing scarlet.

Stella restrained herself from punching Musa. She had thought that after the previous night, Musa wouldn't lead Andy on any further and leave him for her. She was evidently wrong.

She sucked in a sharp breath after watching the girls exchange mischievous glances after observing Andy and Musa. "Shall we go now?" she asked in the sweetest voice she could churn out.

"Sure." Andy turned to face her, flashing a pearly white smile her way. Stella swore she melted.

She smiled back and gestured for him to lead the way. She hoped he'd be a gentleman and ask the girls to go first. Then she'd get her chance to walk beside him when he exited the apartment after them. But guess what?

"Come on, M." Andy looked at Musa, holding his hand out. She happily accepted and they walked out hand in hand.

Stella's eye twitched but she grinned and let it go.

The rest of the girls didn't notice any of this, they couldn't even sense the jealous vibes emitting off the blonde.

Soon, everyone crammed into the big car the radio company had sent them and before they knew it, they were off.

The journey to the airport was awkward. Everyone was quite; no one knew what to say. Of course, Flora and Bloom attempted to make conversation but no one seemed interested. There weren't even any comments about how excited they were or what they hoped to do. Listening to the droning sound of the radio that was failing to get signal as the car drove further into the outskirts of the city, was all that occupied everyone's time.

The scene the girls and Andy were met with after they exited the car was nothing like they'd expected.

People were bustling. Workers were pushing luggage trolleys to their correct destinations. There relieved and tearful goodbyes from relatives and friends of passengers and airship hostesses were hurriedly making their way to their assigned flights. All in all, everything was in a bit of a frenzy.

"They should really have more of an orderly way of getting around here."

"I agree with you, Tec." Layla shook her head as she dodged a woman chasing after her boyfriend.

Flora nodded, linking arms with Layla because she was a bit frightened of drowning in the sea of people.

It took sweat, blood and tears _and _about fifteen minutes just to get to the check in counter. Stella ran off to the nearest toilets to perfect her make-up, while everyone else piled their suitcases onto the conveyer belts and handed the inattentive woman their passports.

She eyed up everyone carefully. Her pace of doing thing was slower than one of a snail. The queues decreased while her queue remained the same.

Layla began tapping her foot in annoyance hoping it would have an effect on her, but it appeared as if she was deaf. People behind the group let out exaggerated sighs and rude comments, but the counter lady paid no attention to them.

Musa was just about to pass a mouthful to the woman but the woman beat her to it.

"Are you two a couple?" she asked Musa and Andy in a dull tone. The pair of them stood shoulder to shoulder, glancing at each other every so often.

Stella heard this as she joined the back of her group after coming back from the bathrooms. Layla and Bloom raised their eyebrows and stared on in surprise, whereas Tecna and Flora snickered into their palm.

Musa froze.

Andy struggled for words.

The question itself was simple to answer, he just couldn't get over the fact of someone, more specifically a stranger, assumed him and Musa were a couple.

"W-why?" he blurted out, dazed.

The lady shrugged and went back to flicking through passports. "Just asking. You two look good together."

Musa went crimson and bowed her head.

Andy saw Musa's embarrassed state. "We're not a couple. Anyway, can you please hurry up, we're late already." He said quickly.

Musa stepped away from Andy, disappearing into her group of friends. Stella quickly dragged her out and pulled her away to have a private word.

"Ow. Get off me!" Musa pushed Stella's brutal grip away.

"What are you doing?" Stella said with wide eyes.

"I have no idea what you're on about. I haven't done anything." Musa replied defensively. She was truly oblivious to her actions as many people are.

Stella didn't know what to say to this. The location they were in wasn't a good place to have a heated argument. Stella took a deep breath before replying. "Musa, just stay away from Andy? Last night you said you didn't like him but now you're acting like a couple, even that lady thought so."

"How are we acting like a couple? We're not holding hands or kissing, are we? The lady was just delusional for thinking that we were." Musa crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'm beginning to think we're not best friends. Not with the way you're acting after knowing that I like him." Stella spat, raising her voice just a little.

"Look, I'm not doing anything wrong, and I amn't ruining your chances. Andy just doesn't know you so he's always with me. If you really liked him, you'd be able to see that." After Musa finished, she strolled back to the group, who were marvelling over the cheapness of a good looking cafe.

"Where did you go?" Tecna inquired.

"We were just talking and scanning the area for shops." Stella answered for Musa. She casually walked past Musa and linked arms with Tecna. "Let's go."

"Good idea. We're late, so we better hurry before the gate closes." Andy agreed, leading the way. This time, he forgot to ask Musa to walk by him. This made Stella smile, not only had he agreed to her idea, but he'd also left Musa behind.

Everyone was worn out by the time they got to the other end of the airport, which was where the gate was.

Musa puffed. "That was some walk."

Everyone nodded and then quickly handed the impatient looking air staff their boarding passes.

"The ship's that way," the woman jut her thumb out, signalling to the tunnel that would get them on board.

"Thanks." The girls beamed and hurried off, forgetting to wait for Andy who was having a hard time keeping the boarding passes from flying out of his hands.

The girls ran down the tunnel, chasing each another to the airship. It was only then when Stella noticed they were missing a certain someone. She told the girls to go ahead and stopped for Andy.

He gave her a stunning smile as he witnessed her waiting for him.

"You didn't have to wait," he said coolly.

"It didn't kill me." Stella didn't come across as flirty in that sentence, which is what she intended.

Andy just smirked and carried on walking beside her.

A boring silence hung between the two of them. Stella frowned, not very happy with the fact that Andy wasn't trying to make conversation.

In the end, she decided she'd say something, assuming that he needed a little encouragement. "So...when did you start playing the guitar?"

"Hmm?" Andy turned to her. "I think I was about eight. I never went to the lessons willingly; it's just that my parents forced me into going."

"But if you didn't like playing, then why are you a guitarist now?" Stella asked, not sounding nosy, just curious.

"Turns out that I had a flair for it and I fell in love with it as I got older."

Stella smiled in return.

"Plus, if it means spending time with people like Musa..."

Stella furrowed her eyebrows, slightly angry. "Meaning..."

"Well, she's famous and gets me known, meaning I get more offers to play for other people." He explained, not catching on to the fact that Stella was angry.

She quickly laughed sheepishly, dismissing the topic. "Do you plan to do just that for the rest of your life? Don't you want more out of it?"

"I do. I've always dreamed of having a little villa by the seaside, to myself and my girlfriend."

Stella's heart sank. She was in too much shock to have tears pool in her eyes. If Andy had a girlfriend, then why didn't Musa tell her? "You have a girlfriend?" she blurted out, her voice sounding pained.

Before Andy could answer, they got to the end of the tunnel, but all they could see was the brightness of the noon sun.

"Where's the ship?" Andy almost shouted in alarm. His eyes went wide just as Stella gasped. They both looked at each other in fear and worry.

"It's left without us!"

* * *

><p><strong>It's short, I gathered. <strong>**I hope you enjoyed it anyhow.**

**Reviews are always loved.**


	8. Underwear

**Chapter 8: Underwear**

'_This journey could possibly change everything. For once, just once, I hope it'll go my way. I've never been the 'lucky girl'; life's always been against me. I just hope that what Aunt Ivy said about fate finding me will come true. This supposed guy I'm supposed to meet is meant to be the 'one' for me. He has to be ideal, he better be anyway. I can't deal with a guy that has a rude attitude, smokes or drinks, eyes up other women and has a completely different approach to life compared to me. He needs to be real, faithful, caring, definitely gorgeous and just well, __perfect__.'_

"Muse, what ya writing?"

"Huh?" Musa abruptly turned away as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Uhh..um, nothing."

Flora smirked. "Anyway," she swiftly changed the subject so Musa would turn to her, "Bloom says she's spotted some 'hot' guys on the ship. You want to check them out?"

"No thanks, I'm good." Musa replied, mirroring the opposite of Flora's enthusiasm.

"Was that a 'thanks for asking, what a good idea'?" Flora said mischievously.

"No." Musa rolled her eyes. "I said-" Musa was too late. Flora had already begun dragging her to the bar of the air ship. "Flo!"

"It'll be fun. Besides, you've been idle for an hour on that seat of yours."

Musa stopped wailing and silently trailed behind Flora, whilst she clung onto Musa's frail arm.

* * *

><p>A robust, brown haired male howled in laughter. His friend beside him shook his head, clearly vexed, and gulped down his vodka to calm his nerves.<p>

"That wasn't funny, Brandon." Riven, the one Brandon had been bugging, hissed.

"Take a joke, man." Timmy rolled his eyes behind his glasses. He was the 'geek' of the group.

"Shut up, four eyes." Riven bit back, his eyes narrowing to slits. "And Brandon," Riven wobbled as he turned to his brown haired friend, "What would you know about girls anyway? You haven't had a girlfriend in like, what? Five years?" Riven sneered, lifting an eyebrow.

"Five _months._" Brandon said defensively, correcting his friend. "Plus, I've actually had a girlfriend."

"So have I, dumbass." Riven signalled for another glass of his favourite alcohol.

"No, Riven. You've only had relationships that last a night." Sky, a guy with shabby blonde hair put in as he stumbled over with a girl on one arm and a mug of beer in his free hand.

"So you think." Riven stated, unwilling to go into more detail.

"Don't deny it, Riven. We know how much of a man slut you are." Nabu put in.

"Well, it's not exactly my fault they leave and want nothing else from me in the morning." Riven shrugged coolly. He slide in a not so unforeseen wink at the purple haired girl on Sky's arm. She returned it with a sultry smile, came over, and pecked him on the cheek before returning to Sky's side again.

"It's not like you want anything else from them after the night either." Helia snorted, walking out of the bar to get away from the excited girls.

"At least I'm not like Brandon -clingy." Riven turned to the bar maid who had just placed his drink by him, she giggled as Riven trailed his finger across her cheek. He gulped down his drink, before staggering forwards and stacking it over air. He landed, face first on the floor.

"Let's get him out of here. C'mon, Timmy." Brandon ordered and grabbed one of Riven's arms, and Timmy soon got the other.

Riven at this moment, couldn't tell the difference between his two friends. His head was hung, his eyes failed to remain open and his whole body sagged.

"Out the way, ladies, please." Brandon politely shouted as he made his way through the narrow corridor.

"Eugh." Musa cringed as she jumped aside. "Please don't tell me they were the 'hot' guys Bloom saw; because if they were, I'd like to say now that I wouldn't look at any of them twice."

"Then I apologise for wasting your time and dragging you down here." Flora replied as he walked further ahead.

"Well, I didn't walk all the way here for nothing. I might as well grab a drink?" Musa thought out loud. She hurriedly then ran over to Flora's side and both girls casually walked into the bar.

"Over here!" Layla waved.

"So nice of you to join us." Bloom grinned as the two girls took their seats. "You just missed the hot guys though. They went."

"And we saw them. Bloom, are you nuts? They were so not hot!" Musa argued. "One of them was totally drunk; the other two were carrying him!"

"They looked _fun._" Bloom protested. "That guy over there doesn't look drunk. Look." Bloom gestured to Sky.

Musa crossed her arms. "You're right; you're the one that's drunk because now you're BLIND."

"Moving on from his stupid topic...have any of you seen Stella?" inquired Tecna, her face turned into one of curiosity.

"Come to think of it..."

"She's probably locked up in the washrooms with Andy." Musa shrugged, cutting Bloom off.

"What?" Layla spat. All the girls instantly turned to Musa. "We thought you liked him and were getting together. But Stella...? I didn't see her in the picture."

"Um, no. Andy's not for me."

"The way you were acting around him earlier didn't look like you weren't interested in him!" Bloom exclaimed, surprised.

Everything then went silent for a while. It was a rather awkward silence.

"I don't know what to say." Flora whispered. "Okay...so you're telling me that she's with him right now?"

* * *

><p>"Here." Andy placed a warm cup of coffee on the table in front of Stella.<p>

"Thanks." Stella flushed. She couldn't believe he was being so caring towards her. "Um, what did the lady say?"

"Well, I think she whispered 'moron' under her breath but then said that she'd get us on the next ship to Breconize."

"Great. But when's that?" asked Stella. She didn't know whether to wish for the wait to be short or long, just so she could spend more time with Andy.

"In an hour." Andy told her.

Stella smiled and then reached for her coffee. She encased it in her freezing hands, and let its warmth surround her. She wasn't in her senses as she brought the hot coffee to her lips, "Ouch...shoot."

"I've got it!" Andy grabbed Stella's shaky hands and saved the coffee from spilling.

His brief touch was enough to make Stella lose all knowledge of speech. She just stared into his eyes, and melted.

"Y-you okay?" Andy asked, taking his gaze away from hers. He was clearly distracted by her beauty.

Stella looked at the white marble ground of the airport and nodded. "Uh, so, who's your girlfriend?" she said suddenly. That was surely one was of changing the subject.

"I have a girlfriend?" Andy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, you said something about settling down with your girlfriend so I..." Stella rambled, uneasily. Although, one part of her was over the moon as realization dawned on her.

"No. I haven't got a girlfriend yet. I'm waiting for the perfect girl."

Stella didn't say anything after that. She was too busy fainting in her dream world.

An hour later, the lady that Andy had been talking to stomped over to the pair. Both of them were napping on the airport chairs with their heads resting on each others.

"Do you want to miss the next ship too?" she boomed, waking them up.

"No...no! Has it left?" Andy said sleepily, wobbling as he frantically stood up.

"It will in about five minutes. Take that girlfriend of yours, who clearly sleeps like a rock, and get on board." The lady huffed, turning on her heel. Though, she turned back and pointed in the direction that Andy needed to head in. Whilst talking to him, the lady had found Andy to be a bit of an over worrier, and just well, thick. Her actions were therefore necessary, otherwise Andy would've asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Andy replied in a military style. He was too tired so was oblivious to the fact that Stella had been named his girlfriend.

He gently prodded her, until she yawned and woke up. Little did he know that it was all an act, meaning Stella hadn't actually been asleep.

"Let's go. Our ship's arrived." Andy told her, as he led the way.

"Mmmhhhmm." Stella agreed as she followed hot on his heels. She wore a tiny smile on her face, proud of the fact that he hadn't denied her of being his girlfriend.

* * *

><p>"We're here!" Helia declared as his group dragged their luggage out of the airport.<p>

"Thanks for informing us of that unobvious fact." Riven said sarcastically.

"Nice to see that you're happy to be here." Sky said, laying his hand on Riven's back.

"Let's get a cab and get out of his place. All these staring girls are starting to creep me out." Timmy hesitated while fixing his glasses.

"Bask in the attention!" Riven announced encouragingly, before starting off in his sexy stroll. He could've sworn that a girl passed out a few metres away from him.

"Not everyone is like you." Helia commented, glancing back from his shoulder to Riven.

"Well isn't that a shame."

"Pfft, look at that bunch of posers." Musa scoffed as she eyed the group of boys in front of her.

"Calm down, M." Layla laughed.

"To be honest, they've got all the girls staring at them. Even you." Bloom remarked, waiting for Musa's predictable reaction.

"What? Me? I'm not staring!" Musa quickly said, baffled. She casually turned away and pretended to be observing the scenery.

"We all saw you, so don't deny it."

"Actually, Bloom, I was only looking at them with disgust."

"Buuuut you were still staring at them."

"...with disgust, yes."

"You were staring at them."

"I was so not!" Musa snapped, losing her cool.

"Were to. Fullstop."

"Whatever." Musa gave in. Winning with Bloom was impossible, considering she always twisted the story so it would side her.

"Let's just get a taxi?" Flora said in her smooth, sweet voice. The girls agreed and walked along the curb in order to find a taxi that their large group would fit in.

"Seven?" asked Tecna, as she held up seven fingers to the taxi driver in case he didn't understand.

"Ummm..." the taxi driver looked at the number of seats he had. His car was a pretty big one. "Yes...yes, you can all squeeze in. But how come there are only five of you?"

"What?" Tecna almost laughed, doubting whether the driver could see or better yet, count properly. "There's seven...look." She turned around and gestured to her friends who all flaunted a smile. "Hold on...where are Stella and Andy?"

"Excuse me, coming through!" Brandon shouted, shoving the girls out of the way with his massive bags. "This taxi's ours!"

"What?" Layla inquired, raising an angry eyebrow.

"We were here first." Riven sat down in the front seat and winked at the girls, whilst signalling for the taxi driver to go.

"Jerk." Musa hissed as the taxi hurtled down the dusty road.

"That was the only big taxi in sight!" Bloom complained. She huffed and then dumped her bags on the ground.

"That's probably why those idiots were so eager to get it!" Musa snorted, still sending evil glares down the path of the taxi.

"Let it go. I'm sure we'll find another one." Flora's assuring voice could've well solved that issue, but there was still the Stella and Andy problem at hand.

"Girls!" Tecna clicked her fingers in front of Bloom's face. "Stella and Andy! Where the hell are they?" she asked, practically screaming.

"They must be about..." Musa simply stated, shrugging.

Tecna face palmed. "If you haven't noticed, they haven't been with us ever since we were on the ship."

"Isn't that a good thing? I mean, there hasn't been any constant complaining or pointless talks about un-hot guys."

"I agree." Musa laughed along with Layla.

Tecna sighed and turned to Bloom and Flora. "Let's go find them." The two girls nodded.

"Take care of our bags, we'll be right back." Flora instructed Musa and Layla. The girls saluted her as a sign of agreeing, before she went off.

"I wonder where she is?"

"Obviously with Andy!"

"Yeah. But you have to explain, M. When did her little crush start?"

* * *

><p>"What do you mean she wasn't on board?" Tecna asked the staff behind the counter. "Let me have a look at that." She snatched the screen away from the frightened staff member and began scanning the list of names. "She's actually not on here, and neither is Andy." Tecna confirmed, showing that she wasn't the only person who could read data.<p>

"Well, then where could they be?" asked Flora, putting on her worried tone and frowning.

Bloom turned around and tried spotting the blonde in the huge sea of people. For all Bloom knew, Stella could've been laying, crushed in the middle of the mass.

"If you'd just listen to me..." the timid woman behind the counter piped up.

"Don't say a word, you." Tecna sent her a glare. "Good for nothing nuisances," she whispered under her breath. "I'm trying to come up with a logical solution for this."

"Excuse me, I..." the woman started again after a pause.

"What did I say?" Tecna asked viscously.

"To be quiet...but I..."

"So, shh."

Bloom sighed, "Just listen to her for a second."

"Thank you. As I was saying, I know where your friend is."

"Really?" Flora asked eagerly.

"Yes."

"Well, where?" Bloom asked, impatiently. She propped a hand on her hip and leaned in, just so she could hear the quiet voice of the woman who appeared to be even sweeter than Flora.

"Considering they didn't get on the ship; they must be at the airport you came from."

"Ah-ha! I was just about to say the same thing!" Tecna exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" Bloom asked, rolling her eyes. "Sure you were."

"Of course. I mean, we didn't see their luggage on the belt, they weren't with-"

"Okay, Tecna." Flora put her hands on Tecna's shoulders to inhibit her from speaking.

* * *

><p>"Hey Riven, since when do you own a purple bag?" Sky sniggered, pointing at the fluffy bag under Riven's feet.<p>

"What?" Riven furrowed his eyebrows and looked around.

"Under your seat."

"Riven, you never told us you were..." A piercing glare was sent Brandon's way prohibiting him from uttering the next word.

"I don't know whose it is. It seems to be some girls, with her...personal stuff."

"Like what? Her lingerie?" Helia asked.

"Yes, actually. Hey, Helia, are you sure this bag isn't yours? You seem to know what's in it." Riven pointed out, sneering.

Helia went red. He cleared his throat before replying, "No way, man."

"Put the bag away Riven. No need to get turned on by some girl's underpants and bras in the car." Nabu started howling with laughter after seeing Riven's expression fall.

"Piss off!" Riven chucked the bag at Nabu's face and crossed his arms.

After a few deeps breaths, the boys in the back of the car calmed down. "How are we going to get it back to the girl?" Timmy asked.

"Good point. We'll just leave it untouched until she comes and finds it." Riven answered, nonchalantly.

"I think we should return it. The chick might have a bit of trouble getting dressed without these." Brandon was on Timmy's side, mainly because he saw the necessity in undergarments. Plus, he did want to meet the girl and see if she liked his 'valiant' act of bringing her back her stuff.

"And that's our problem, how exactly?"

"Riven, no one specifically asked you to do it. _We'll_ return it." Sky rolled his eyes. He hated it when Riven got moody because of stupid things much like this.

Riven didn't reply. He simple turned his head and stared out of the window, admiring the beautiful scenery of the coast and dense green forest. Breconize was one diverse island.

The journey for Riven was mostly silent and peaceful, just like he liked it, until Nabu poked him.

"Dude."

A few pokes later, Riven jerked his head to his friend. "What?" he snapped.

He was met with Nabu's apologetically grinning face.

"Go on. I'm dying of curiosity." Riven stated bluntly.

"We found a cute little gold journal underneath everything an-"

"Are you guys seriously still going through the bag? Who's getting turned on now?" Riven narrowed his eyes at the boys.

"Actually, we were just, uhh...wondering what else was in it." Brandon nodded as if he was agreeing with himself.

"And just look what we found!" exclaimed Sky.

"Oooooh, a journal. Better turn it in to reclaim our prize." Riven shifted his position in his uncomfortable seat so he was permanently facing his friends.

"We have to get to the prize first. And that's why we were wondering if you could unpick the lock, since you _are _the master of lock picking." Nabu dismissed Riven's sarcastic comment and boosted his friend's ego even more. As good a technique it was to make Riven do what he wanted, it wouldn't be for when they came across another lock picking problem in the future.

"Give it here." Riven grabbed the journal from Helia's hands and started studying the lock.

* * *

><p><strong>Gotta thank the teachers who went on strike today, 'cause we got a day off from that hell hole! That meant I could write and so I finished this! <strong>

**It feels awesome to be back, even though it's only been a little over a fortnight. **

**Review, 'cause I love you and tell me what you think? **


	9. I'm Mr Right

**Chapter 9: I'm Mr. Right; someone said you were looking for me**

Musa leaned against Bloom, snoring quietly whilst the taxi drove over the bumpy road.

"Bloom, I forgot to ask; what happened with Stella and Andy?"

"No need to worry, Layla. They just missed the ship, but they should be on their way soon." Bloom replied.

"Do you really expect Stella to find her way?" Tecna asked, raising her eyebrow. Doubting Stella was something that Tecna was brilliant at.

"She'll have to. And stop being mean! She's not dumb." Bloom pouted in Stella's defence but soon broke into a smile. Tecna smirked along with her friend.

"Okay, ladies, we're here." The taxi driver told them as he parked and got out of the car. Luckily the girls had found themselves a nice, honest man and not some young, flirt as a driver.

The man walked to the boot and lifted it open. He began hauling the bags on to the concrete pathway as the girls got out of the car in turn.

"How many bags did you have?" he asked, hoping he hadn't forgotten to put any of their bags into the boot whilst they were at the airport.

"Well, Bloom has two, Musa has four as well as her hand bag, I have two, Layla has one and Flora has three. So in total that is thirteen." Tecna answered confidently.

"Are you sure? There only seems to be twelve here."

The girls furrowed their eyebrows and looked at the bags and sorted them out. Only then was it clear that one of Musa's bags wasn't there. "Great. How did I guess that it would happen to me?" Musa sighed in frustration. This day wasn't going smoothly for her _and_ she had her first report to make.

"Let me check the car." Flora suggested and she did a thorough search but was unlucky. "Sorry."

"Maybe it's with Stella and Andy. Just hope that they've got it. Besides, the content couldn't be that important."

"Stella or Andy wouldn't have _my _bag, and Bloom, it was ultra-important. It had my underwear in it!" Musa hissed her last sentence to Bloom.

"Oh."

"Ha-ha!" Layla pointed at Musa before picking up her bags and heading into the hotel lobby.

Musa frowned. "Thanks, Layla."

"Serves you right for bringing so many bags and putting all your underwear in one!"

"Let's just go and check in. It's not like it's magically going to appear." Tecna also picked up her bags and followed Layla. Flora and Bloom soon followed after giving sympathetic smiles to Musa, not that they helped her mood.

"Come on, you can always buy more. We'll go to a store this afternoon, okay?" Flora assured Musa and tried pushing her along.

"I'll be a minute." Musa said without budging to Flora's push.

"Cheer up. You've come to this lovely hotel and a frown isn't what people wear when they come here." The taxi driver patted Musa on the back and gave her a positive smile. He then got in his car. "Hey, if I see it at the airport, I'll return to you."

"Thanks." Musa smiled and then started dragging her luggage inside. The girls had already checked in and were waiting for Musa.

The hotel was pure luxury. It had everything you could think of, from a five star restaurant to an indoor ski slope. It even had its own mall, although no one had squealed about that because that was Stella's job. The interior of the hotel was marble, gold and red, making it very royal. It wasn't a surprise that it was six star after observing the décor.

Layla rushed over to Musa and helped her carry her bags considering she had packed light, even though she had the largest suitcase out of all the girls. Soon the girls were settled in their giant rooms which were helpfully along the same corridor.

One room was for Musa and Stella. Another was for Flora and Tecna, another was for Bloom and Layla, and Andy had his own. The rooms were extremely cosy yet really modern and sophisticated at the same time. The colour scheme of the rooms was black and white with a touch colour on objects such as cushions and wall art. The furniture had really bold shapes and most of it was leather and glossy metal. Each room also had huge ceiling to floor windows that overlooked the calm sea. Musa had never stayed anywhere so fancy before. She was loving every second of the experience so far.

After the girls had unpacked roughly and freshened up, they all headed downstairs to the little café beside the gorgeous swimming pool in which various coloured floats floated. When the girls arrived at the back of the hotel, they stood in awe of the surroundings. Past the pool, a golden beach was located. It looked really deserted even though the weather was sunny. The curved pool itself was huge, allowing many young people to swim and play volley ball in it. A large patch of grass was left to the pool and that's where all the sunbathers lay, enjoying glasses of drink which were being served by male waiters dressed in tight swimming trunks. The café the girls went to overlooked the pool. White parasols were shading all the grey iron tables and neat cutlery and table mats were atop them.

Once the girls took their seats, they quickly placed their orders and the food arrived in an instant, proving the service to be unbeatable. Just as they started tucking in into the delicious meals, Stella and Andy arrived before them with jet lag written all over their faces.

"About time." Layla exclaimed and stood up to greet them. She quickly brought them over to the table and forced them into ordering lots of food.

"You guys look like you haven't eaten anything in ages." Flora said, alarmed at their frail conditions.

"That's because we haven't." Andy said in a sleepy voice.

"Well, just be happy that you're here. And Andy, you better get some rest because we have a concert to attend tonight."

Andy groaned and buried his face in his hands. Stella and Andy's food soon got transported into their stomachs and the two of them headed to their rooms to make themselves presentable and to have a little nap.

"Hey, Flo, that life guard is totally checking you out!" Musa whispered rather excited even though it had nothing to do with her.

"Hang on, if he's the life guard, then who is that guy sitting on that giant chair?" Layla wore a confused expression as she paused with a couple of nachos in her hand.

"Oh. Okay, so he isn't the lifeguard." Musa put her hands up in surrender and laughed along with Layla.

"Then why is he wearing red swimming trunks?" Bloom giggled.

"It's because he doesn't have any fashion sense, darling!"

"That sounded like Stella!" Layla said worriedly.

"That's because it is Stella." Musa pointed out, rolling her eyes. "I thought you were going to the room? How come you came back so quickly?" Musa inquired when Stella had joined the group.

"I heard that there was a mall!" She squealed, making Musa cover her ears. "So, I thought that we just needed to go shopping! Forget jet lag!"

"I don't think that's a good idea. You'll need another suitcase by the time you're finished." Bloom laughed, and then sipped her gooseberry milkshake.

"I'll come with you, Stel. I actually need to go shopping." Stella turned to Musa after she'd finished. She looked surprised but uneasy at the same time,. The two of them weren't exactly BFFL's at that moment in time.

"Yeah, Musa lost all her bras." Layla smirked. She earned herself a brief glare from Musa.

"You can help me pick an outfit?" Musa threw on some of her famous puppy eyes.

"Sure." Stella smiled gently, forgetting about her little grudge.

Xxx

"No, I don't think a dress would be suitable for the event. I'll look like I'm going to some posh party." Musa placed the dress back on the rack and moved onto the next rack of clothes.

"Fine, but you can still buy it. You never know when you might need a hot dress like that!" Stella said and leaned into Musa's shoulder.

"What are you trying to say?" Musa narrowed her eyes at her shopping buddy.

"Nothing. But come on, it looked so good on you!"

"Really?" Musa asked doubtfully. "I thought it looked a bit baggy?"

"We'll get a smaller size then." Stella rushed over to the rack and grabbed the smaller size. She whacked the person who was reaching for it with her hair as she turned around. "Hard luck," Stella smiled to herself evilly.

The dress she'd picked out for Musa was beautiful. It was a strapless, maroon number that had large ruffles at the bottom and a black ribbon belt tied at the waist. It ended mid-thigh and was beautifully made.

"You gotta admit, Calvin Klan is such an awesome designer."

"Yeah, whatever. How much is it?"

"It's half price so you can afford it, don't worry!" Stella replied in a patronising voice. She then grabbed Musa's arm and dragged her to the Pradah collection that she'd just spotted. She made Musa stand still and started grabbing outfits and put them up against Musa.

"This is perfect! What do you think?" Stella asked eagerly.

"Lose the jeans."

"Um, then what are you going to wear?" Stella's eyebrows furrowed.

"This!" Musa smiled, picking up the piece of clothing which was on the table to her right. With the outfit Stella has picked hanging over her arms, she danced off into the changing room.

"Oh! Oh! Oh, darling! That is just wonderful! Love, love, love! All of it!" Stella's hands were planted on her cheeks and her mouth was wide open.

Musa did an amateur model pose and turned around. She had on a purple corset top with black lace going all the way down the middle, a pleated black short skirt, and suede, black thigh-high boots with a medium heel. She's even managed to find a cute purple hair clip that she wore in her hair.

"Buy it, now! We still have your hair and make-up to do!" Stella flapped her hands and shooed Musa back into the changing rooms. "I think you just out did yourself." Stella told herself whilst Musa was changing. Musa was quick to come out so the girls hurried off.

Meanwhile, the rest of their group were taking a dip in the pool under the setting sun.

"Doesn't the sky look so pretty?" Flora said dreamily whilst looking at the horizon.

"Yeah, it does." Layla agreed after jumping into the swimming pool and splashing all the girls.

Tecna eyed Layla with anger. She shook her head to get the water droplets out of her perfectly gelled hair.

"Sorry," Layla laughed sheepishly. Though, she didn't seem forgiven. "Race you guys to the other end?"

"You're on!" Bloom splashed water in Layla's eyes and got a head start.

"Hey!" Layla dove underwater and bit Bloom's leg when she got to her.

"Ow!" Bloom wailed, stopping to rub her leg. "Get back here!" she shouted and started swimming after Layla.

"I win!" declared Layla as she took several deep breaths. Bloom soon joined her, but it was a while until Flora and Tecna made their way to the girls. "You guys are disqualified."

Before Tecna could snap at Layla about being forced into the race, Bloom gasped, loudly.

"What?" Flora asked, looking scared because of Bloom's wide eyes.

"Look." She said shakily as she straightened her finger. "It's that god of a guy that was on the airship!"

"What a coincidence." Layla said sarcastically. "Bloom, just go and talk to him if you like him so much."

"It looks like he and his group are coming over to us instead." Flora whispered.

Bloom gulped. "Oh, no. What do I say?"

"Just converse, like a normal person." Tecna told her.

"About wha-?"

"Hi." Sky, the blonde that Bloom liked, crouched down by the edge of the swimming pool in front of Bloom. "I'm Mr. Right; someone said you were looking for me?"

"Was that meant to be a pick up line?" Layla raised her thin eyebrow in disgust. Bloom blushed. "Lame." Layla turned away and decided not to waste her time talking to the idiots.

"Uh. Uh. Um." Sky cleared his throat but nothing could stop him from looking like he was sunburnt. The rest of Bloom's friends wore amused expressions and held their laughter back.

"Nice one." Riven slid into the pool beside Layla. "Where'd you get that attitude from?"

"Please don't tell me that that was your attempt at a pick-up line." Layla rolled her eyes and continued looking away.

"Definitely not. I'm not like my sad, sad friend over there." Riven gestured to Sky who was still throwing lame pick-up lines at Bloom about her beauty.

The rest of the boys soon got into the pool and mingled with the girls. Conversation started flowing smoothly and everyone was getting along.

Brandon nudged Helia and nodded at him. "Sky." Helia called out.

Sky looked at his friend and got the hint. "Listen up, ladies. We were just wondering if you'd like to come to our bonfire tonight at the beach. It's at seven o'clock."

Bloom grinned widely and looked at the girls. "Of course. We'd love that!"

"What about going with Musa to that concert?" Flora asked quietly.

The guys looked at each other, but it was Brandon that spoke up. "If you can't make it, then…"

"No, no. We can. Musa will understand." Bloom assured them, letting the matter pass by. "Look, there she is."

Everyone turned their heads and saw Musa and Stella chatting with a lot of shopping bags on their arms. "That's Stella, by the way." Flora informed the boys.

"Hey, Musa!" Bloom called and waved her hands up in the air. She wanted to ask her friend for permission to go to the bonfire and leave her.

Musa and Stella turned around and observed the girls with a lot of guys around them.

"Come here, we want to ask you something." Bloom shouted.

Musa rolled her eyes and was just about to head over to them but her phone rang. "Hello? Hey…that's good…you have an hour to get ready….yes, I'm on my way now…What? Be there in a sec!" Musa turned to Stella. "Thanks for everything, Stel, go to go!"

"Where's she going?" Timmy asked.

"She had to get ready; she isn't here on holiday like the rest of us." Stella answered once she got to the now bigger group.

"We wanted to ask her if it would be okay to leave her and go to these guys' bonfire. You're invited too." Layla told Stella.

"I don't think she ever expected us to go with her. She has Andy."

"Who's Andy?" Riven blurted out.

"He's her guitarist and co-worker at the radio station she works at." Stella explained.

"Getting jealous, were we?" Brandon asked in a hushed tone. He had to stop himself from howling in laughter.

"No. I was just…uh-"

"Did you think she was hot?" Brandon wiggled his eyebrows.

"She looked nice…that's all." Riven pushed Brandon away so he wouldn't interrogate him any further. "We'll see you later, girls. We're leaving."

"We are?" Sky asked, confused. He was a disappointed because he'd just started getting closer to Bloom.

"Yes." Riven nodded slowly.

"Okay. I'll see you at the bonfire then, Bloom. Bye." Sky waved sweetly and the boys disappeared around the corner.

"Bye!" Bloom sighed dreamily. "Ahhhh, best day ever!" Layla caught Bloom as she pretend fainted.

"Maybe for you, darling. But as for me, I need to go check on Musa. I don't trust her with her make-up."

Xxx

"What's that gold thing you're reading?" Helia asked as he towel-dried his long hair.

"It's the journal we found in that bag. I managed to unpick the lock." Riven replied, nonchalantly.

"Isn't what you're doing an invasion of privacy?"

"No."

"How would you like it if someone read your journal?" Helia challenged as he picked his clothes for the night.

"I don't have a journal." Riven smirked. He liked winning.

"Whatever, dude. Just hurry, we have to leave in a minute."

"I'm ready. You're the one who should hurry up." Riven continued flicking through the diary. He wasn't reading it but just browsing through the pictures and drawings that had been stuck on the pages. "Why don't I meet you guys downstairs? I need to grab a drink."

Xxx

"Perfect. You look beautiful!"

"All thanks to you. Did I ever mention that I love you?" Musa asked playfully as she admired herself in the mirror.

"Save it, darling! Now, off you go. You're going to be late!"

"Oh yeah. My bad. I need to meet Andy downstairs as well!" Musa smoothened the creases on her skirt and ran to the door.

"Wait. You forget these!" Stella chased after her and gave Musa her bag and supplies she needed for the interview.

"What would I do without you?"

"I don't know. Bye now!" Stella waved as Musa darted down the stairs to the lobby. She was going to slow her pace and admire the abstract paintings on the wall but she really was late.

Andy soon came into sight, so Musa picked up her speed and hurried towards him.

"Watch it!"

Musa gasped and landed on the ground with a groan. When she opened her eyes, she saw all her things scattered on the ground in front of her.

"Look what you've done!" Riven, the guy she'd bumped into, hissed. He got on his knees and started looking for the journal he'd dropped.

"Sorry." Musa apologised bitterly. She quickly gathered her stuff and shoved it in her bag.

Riven grabbed the journal he was looking for and stood up. He sighed in pity at the girl beneath him. "Here." He stretched his hand out. Musa looked up and stared at the hand. Riven moved his hand a little bit to give her a hint. She put her hand in his and he helped her back on her feet.

"Don't I get a thank you?" he asked, cockily.

"Let me think…NO. Jerk." Musa scoffed and then pushed past him and headed over to Andy.

Riven raised his eyebrows and turned around in her direction. "Whatever," he said underneath his breath.

* * *

><p><strong>Another chapter done and dusted. I'm so glad I didn't give up and take a break on this story, because I've started enjoying writing it again! I think I was just missing the drama, but now we've got to it! Yay.<strong>

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it and more will be up soon.**


	10. Til the death of me

**Ha, just think, usually chapter 10 in my average fic would be near the ending, but we're not even in the middle yet! **

**Anyway, I'd like to ask for some more feedback and opinions, so please review at the end. You know how much I appreciate them.**

**Happy New Year as well! Hope this is a great year for you! **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: 'Til the death of me<strong>

Andy finally spotted Musa approaching him. She was late. "What took you so long?" he asked, genuinely worried.

Musa shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, ruining some of Stella's expert straightening. "I bumped into some jerk."

"What happened? Did he do anything to you? If he did then-"

Musa considered Andy a big brother; it was a no brainer as to why. But sometimes the closeness of their relationship was misunderstood as love. Though, Musa knew that she didn't love him, she just wished she could say the same for Andy. "No. I just ran into him and fell over. I'm surprised he even had the courtesy to help me up." Musa explained as she and Andy strolled over to the shore.

"You shouldn't have taken his hand."

"I know. I just…I-well-" Musa sighed, giving up. She really didn't know why she let him help her. It wasn't like her to do so. "It all just happened in the heat of the moment." Musa turned away to avoid Andy's gaze. Andy shrugged and remained silent for the rest of their journey to the beach.

Once the silence became awkward, Musa decided to bring back conversation.

"Um, do you know what band we're interviewing today?"

"They're called 'Mistaken'. But first we have to watch the whole of the festival and report on it with pictures and a great story. You know, for the magazine."

Musa nodded. She felt uneasy for some reason; she had a funny feeling that something was going to go wrong. "Andy…"

"Yes?" The moment their eyes met, Musa looked down.

"Nothing."

"Hey, look, there it is!" Andy pointed to the giant stage by the black cliffs at the other end of the long beach. "Just look at the size of that crowd!"

Musa laughed anxiously, still because of that strange feeling in the back of her mind. "We better get a move on; it's going to be a long walk," she said bravely and then headed off at a moderate speed with Andy hot on her heels.

Andy knew that something was up; he'd noticed it the minute she'd tried to tell him. So being the nice guy he was, he changed the subject swiftly. "Did I mention how good you look?"

Musa blushed and turned to him with a smirk. "Wish I could say the same for you!" she laughed.

"Hey!" Andy laughed, pretending to be offended by her comment. Musa's laugh became louder after she yelped and started running away from her co-worker. "Wait till I get my hands on you!"

Concurrently, Musa's friends had just joined the group of boys that had invited them to the bonfire. They were located in the middle of the beach, just far enough for the music of the concert not to reach them. Before the girls had even got there, the boys had gathered a lot of big logs and set them ablaze. Four other large logs were placed around the bonfire to act as seats. There was also a small table at the right to each sitting log for the drinks and snacks that were just being ordered from the nearby beach bar.

"The place looks great." Tecna said as she took her seat. She was truly impressed by the effort the boys had put in.

"Thanks." Timmy said quietly and hesitantly took a seat next to her.

Everyone soon sat down with their drinks and conversation began flowing. "We're so glad you girls could make it. It would've been boring without you."

"Yeah, Sky doesn't really appreciate our company." Riven joked.

"That's not what I meant!" Sky snapped.

"Anyway, we've got a lot of things planned for today, like truth or dare and ghost stories." After the mention of ghost stories, Brandon started laughing evilly and started making spooky noises.

"Cut that out," Helia laughed.

"Let's start then. Truth or dare…Sky." Riven smirked and stared at Sky with a cocked eyebrow.

"Great. I'm so done for." Sky put one hand to his face and sighed.

"Cheer up; I won't make it _too_ bad." The smirk on Riven's face grew wider. "Choose."

"Uhh….truth."

"Truth it is. Okay…uh…have to ever dreamt about getting into Bloom's pants?"

Bloom and Sky's expressions changed into ones or shock and horror. "Dude!" Sky shrieked. He couldn't believe he had to answer that.

"Answer it, we don't have all day." Brandon said smugly, enjoying this torture of his best friend. In fact, everyone seemed to be looking mischievously curious.

"I've got you now!" a triumphant cry sounded from just metres away from the bonfire, catching everyone's attention.

"Andy, no!" Musa laughed, but she couldn't stop him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around in the air as she screamed and giggled at the same time.

"Musa?" Layla asked, her forehead crinkled.

Musa took a deep breath and Andy set her down on the sand, but he still had his arms around her.

Whilst the girls inquired about where Musa was going, Sky eyed Riven. His magenta haired friend was trying to divert his eyes away from the pair and look like he wasn't bothered. But Sky blatantly saw that Riven was struggling.

"We better get going; we can't miss the opening act." Andy bid everyone goodbye and started heading off.

"Hang on." Musa said with her arms crossed and a pout on her lips.

"What is-?" Before Andy could ask, Musa had already given him his answer by climbing on him in a piggy back style.

"Onwards!" she kicked Andy on his leg and he started off. "Bye guys!" Musa waved with a huge smile on her face, a smile that Sky's friend couldn't stop looking at.

"God, Musa, you're so heavy!" Andy complained playfully, his voice fading as he walked further away from the group by the bonfire.

"Excuse me?" was Musa's offended reply. The rest of the conversation couldn't be heard as the pair was too far away.

"Riven, truth or dare?" Sky challenged with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Huh? What? You haven't answered yours yet!" Riven protested with his eyes brows furrowing.

"I did. I told Bloom, and according to the rules you just have to tell one person."

"What rules?"

"Riven, just let it go. It's your turn now." Layla said.

"No, first Bloom has to tell us what Sky told her!"

"Sorry. No can do. It's a secret." Bloom smiled and then snuggled up to Sky.

"That's no fair, I'm not playing." Riven said stubbornly.

"Oh, stop being such a baby, Riven." Timmy said, whilst he shook his head.

"Truth or dare, Riven?" Flora asked gently.

Riven looked at her and answered after a short pause. "Truth…only 'cause the girl asked."

Flora mouthed him a 'thank you' but all she got in return was a hard look. Whilst Sky thought about the perfect question to ask Riven, snacks were passed around and the music was switched on. Somehow those two components, made the girls move closer to the guy they were sitting next to. However, Riven, Stella and Brandon were left sitting alone.

"Okay, Riven. Do you have a crush on Musa, that girl who just passed us?"

Riven choked on his alcoholic drink. "No," he spat.

"We asked for the truth, Riven." Brandon pressed.

"I've given you my answer." Riven coldly hissed. "It's not my fault if you weren't expecting it."

"But it's not the truth."

"Shut up, Sky. How would you know anyway? Just leave me alone, I'm out of here."

Everyone exchanged glances, regretting pushing Riven. "Riven, wait, don't go!" Brandon called.

"Yeah, we didn't mean it." Sky said, standing up.

"I don't care. I'm done with this dumb bonfire." He threw his glass in the sand and stormed off.

* * *

><p>Musa and Andy had managed to battle through the crowd along with a bodyguard and were now in the mosh pit. The crowd was crazy. There was more pushing and jumping than the two had expected.<p>

"Camera!" Andy shouted over the screaming of audience. Musa fished it out of the bag and thrust it in Andy's stomach. The first act was just about come out from behind the curtains and Andy didn't want to miss a shot.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to night one of the festival. Now it's time to get excited, so let's welcome out first act of the night! It's Mistaken!" Cheers erupted from the crowd and music began booming out from the gigantic speakers on either size of the wide stage.

The band members then jumped out and gave their fans a long wave. They then positioned themselves on the guitars, bass, drums, keyboard and the lead singer grabbed the microphone. He began belting out the lyrics of his first song and overhead camera's zoomed into his face. Andy quickly snapped some shots and joined in with the hooting.

Whilst Andy was enjoying himself, Musa was digging around in her bag to find her notebook. She finally grabbed a gold covered book and opened it. She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Andy. "What's my journal doing in there?" she whispered under her breath. She remembered putting the gold book at the bottom of her underwear bag where no one would find it, and she'd lost it. It also didn't help that her notebook was the same colour as her journal. She called out Andy's name to get his attention but he was too busy clicking and screaming.

It was only when Musa tapped him when he turned around. "What?"

"I can't find my notebook!" Musa said.

"What?" Andy screamed again.

Musa repeated what she said but this time she said it much louder and into Andy's ear.

"What's that then?" Andy inquired, gesturing to Musa's journal.

"That's not it." Musa replied, disappointment all over her face.

Andy placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take in everything you see and hear, and write it down when you get back?"

Musa did as Andy suggested and even danced to the music. It took three hours until all the performances were over. So as soon as the crowd cleared away, Andy and Musa rushed backstage to commence with their interview.

Mistaken were a five piece band and they were very famous in Breconize since they'd originated from the realm. Musa and Andy sat them down and started asking them questions. The information they gathered had to be written into Musa's journal even though she wasn't too keen on doing so.

"Thanks for your time. That should be it." Andy said politely and left after shaking their hands. All the band members also dispersed, except the bass played who loitered for a minute and then grabbed Musa's wrist and pulled her on stage.

He was tall and rather good looking. He had dark brown hair which had been gelled into spikes at the middle of his head for the show, and he wore a baggy grey vest and some tight blue jeans with a metal adorned belt. He also had on the heaviest looking boots which were dirty grey.

Musa was taken by surprise, so couldn't form any words.

"I heard you sing," he said in his husky voice.

Musa looked at him surprised, wondering why a big star like him would be a fan of an amateur radio singer like her. "Well, yes." Musa shifted in her position.

He gestured towards the lone microphone at the front of the stage.

She looked at him with uncertainty. "No…I'm not very good. Plus, I haven't practiced in ages." Musa rushed, trying to get out of it.

He stared into her azure eyes and smiled. He put his hands around her shoulders and led her to the microphone. "I'll sing with you." Jake, the bass player told her.

He slid his hand down to her waist from her shoulders and tapped on the mic. Jake then took her hand and placed it on it. After that he cleared his throat and began.

"_I don't want to live forever__  
><em>_I just want to live for you__  
><em>_If this world falls down around us__  
><em>_We'll be here shining through._"

He looked at Musa to get her to join in. At first she frowned so he squeezed her hand. Then she took a breath and sang with him.

"_And I know sometimes we move too fast__  
><em>_And leave our ghosts behind us__  
><em>_But now they're in front of me__  
><em>_Don't give up on me just yet__  
><em>_I know that you won't, I'm too hard to forget__  
><em>_Is this really what you want for me?_"

Musa opened her eyes and looked at Jake. "That was amazing. Believe it or not, I'm a big fan of yours."

Musa scoffed. "Yeah, right." She then punched him playfully in the stomach.

"I am. Anyway, how would you like to have dinner with me?"

Musa stepped out of his grip and jumped off the stage into the sand. "I can't, I'm sorry. I need to get back."

Jake joined her on the sand and silently agreed. "Okay, but at least let me join you for a walk?"

"Jake, you're a really amazing guy…"

"So you just have to say yes. I'm not taking anything else for an answer. Come on." He slipped his hand into Musa's and led her down the beach.

"Please, Jake. You don't understand." Musa pleaded, hoping he'd let her go.

"On one condition."

"And that is?"

"You're about to find out," he whispered and stroked her cheek. Just as Musa was about to protest to his next move, his lips crashed down on hers and they kissed for a good thirty seconds. "When can I see you again?" he whispered with a pleasured glint in his eyes.

"Never, Jake. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have done that." Musa said trying not to falter in her strength.

"Musa?" he grabbed her arms and pulled her back.

"Let me go!" she cried, struggling. He shook his head slightly; he couldn't give up just yet.

"Let her go!"

* * *

><p><strong>The lyrics in this chapter are from the song 'Til the death of me by blessthefall. The title is also named after the song. I do not own it in any way!<strong>

**You know what goes here, the usual: hope you enjoyed the chapter blah blah blah...**

**The last thing left to ask for reviews. So please hit that link and give me your opinions. I also love critique. **


	11. Oh God

**Chapter 11: Oh God**

Musa's arms slipped out of Jake's grip at the sound of the fierce growl. Jake crossed his arms and stood there, looking intrigued. The person hidden by the shadows of the palm trees soon stepped out to face him. "Who are you?" Jake raised an eyebrow. He sounded totally uninterested.

"That doesn't matter." Riven, the source of the growl replied, equally uninterested.

Jake turned to Musa after giving the magenta haired guy a scoff. "You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?" His eyes grew narrower as the knot in Musa's stomach became tighter.

Musa glanced at Riven. She seemed to recognize him from their little bump, so saying no to Jake's question would be a lie. "Um, we've just encountered once before," she answered, sheepishly.

"So then what's your problem, dude? You don't even know her." Jake seethed.

"Just get the hell away from her." Riven snapped. He steadily approached Jake, who didn't seem to be fazed at all. He stood his ground and just furrowed his eyebrows. Musa watched on, hoping that no one would get hurt. But by the looks of things, a serious fight was going to go down because of her. Musa had to stop them, otherwise the guilt of the aftermath would haunt her.

"Jake, just leave. I'll see you later, okay?" Musa hissed when she went up to him. She gave him a little shove to trigger his walking back to the hotel.

"Why should I?"

"For me?" Musa looked at Jake with big eyes.

He stroked her cheek and leaned into her ear. "Be careful. This guy's a jerk."

Musa nodded. She hesitated after Jake disappeared and then looked up at Riven, unsure of what to say or do next.

Riven smirked and approached her. To him, she was just plain captivating. He wanted to know more about her, he needed to. "Uh…" he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Musa? Musa, is that you? I've been looking everywhere!" Andy ran up behind Musa and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Reluctantly Musa tore her gaze away from Riven's mesmerising eyes and he forgot about his words. Looking confused, Andy glanced from Riven to Musa.

"Are you okay?" he queried, suspecting Riven like it was the only thing he knew how to do. Musa didn't reply but just got lost in Riven's stare. "Let's go. You look frozen." Andy led Musa away from the beach, leaving Riven alone.

Musa glanced back but was only left bewildered when she couldn't see Riven anywhere. Little did she know that Riven had stormed off in the rage of seeing the girl that left him speechless with another guy for the second time in that night.

"Who is he?" Andy asked suddenly as they were walking back to the hotel. Musa had seemed lost ever since he'd taken her away from the beach.

Musa paused before snapping out of it. "Jealous much?" She laughed, returning to her old self in an instant.

Andy admired her whilst she chuckled. "Does that bother you?"

"What?" Musa asked, not understanding what he was hinting at.

Andy tucked his hands into his pockets and looked in the other direction. "Uhh. I-well-I…You said…"

Musa stepped in front of Andy, stopping him before he could proceed to his hotel room. Andy was still looking away; he had lost the strength to admit his feelings now. Musa smiled softly and placed her hands in his. "Tell me. Tell me everything. I'll listen today."

"Promise?" She nodded in return. Andy sighed and then opened her room door with his hand. "Inside."

Her actions had brought back his courage. He was going to go for it today. He was sick and tired of waiting. He had yearned for her long enough; this was the perfect chance and another like it wasn't going to pop up in the future. 'Seize the moment,' he would say to himself every time they were alone, but he was always too much of a coward. But not anymore. This was it.

Musa sat down on her bed and made herself comfy. She looked around but didn't find Stella sleeping on the bed next to hers. She figured that she was probably still at the bonfire. Her attention then went back to Andy who started to clear his throat. "Sorry." Musa smiled warmly.

He didn't return the smile. Instead, he placed himself in front of Musa and unbuttoned his jacket, and then threw it behind him. Musa looked at the jacket and furrowed her eyebrows. She had just got an inkling of what Andy was about to do, but she was too late to get away. He breathed out. Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her into his chest. He rested her hands there; she had to admit that he had a nice body considering his chest was perfectly chiselled.

She looked up at him, and he stared seductively back. His hands were clamped around her waist and he whispered, "I love you, Musa. And I know you love me too. Aren't you sick of living in denial?" Musa looked at him with wide eyes. So many rude replies came to her mind but she couldn't utter a word. "Let's make us official. You're the only thing I want. I can't hide it any longer. You're everything to me."

"Andy…" Musa gasped, feeling like such an idiot for not realising how she was leading him on.

His name was the only thing she managed to say before he connected their lips. She just moaned after that as he stripped her of her clothes and buried them under the duvet. He kissed her body hungrily, stroked her curves, and pressed his body against hers. He had outdone himself and now he was going to give both of them an unforgettable experience.

Musa breathed out in pleasure. She wasn't numb or tense like she was supposed to be. Was it that somewhere she felt something towards Andy too? Was there the reason of love behind the things she did with Andy?

Andy stopped for a minute and came up from kissing her mouth. He looked at her for permission to enter and to finally get what he wanted. Musa's eyes were moist; everything that was happening overwhelmed her. She didn't know what to say.

Andy took her silence as an agreement.

"Andy!" Musa screamed, but her scream was muffled due to Andy's lips rubbing against her own.

Riven stopped on hearing the scream. He was just about to knock on Musa's door, but he had already realised that she was preoccupied with the black haired guy that had taken her away from the beach. "Idiot," Riven said to himself. He should've known that they were together after the way they were acting. But he had also had his doubts, though blatantly his instincts were right. At that realisation, his lip curled in anger as he clenched his fists. What he was feeling was completely new, and he hated it. He shut his eyes tightly to get all those images of both of them out, but no avail. He had to get away from there right now because the urge to break something within him was strong.

He shook his head in disgust and headed away from the room.

"What the-?" He looked down only to find a bag similar to the one he had. He crouched down and began looking through it. He didn't care about privacy at that moment.

"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" the same two words were repeated from inside the room. Riven knew who they came from and he especially didn't like the fact that they were being said with a worn out tone.

While he was gritting his teeth at the vile images created in his mind, his hands brushed past something hard. He pulled it out, only to find an identical journal to the one he had. He quickly flicked through it, getting more bewildered as he saw the same things that had once passed his eyes. He quickly went to his room and pulled out the journal he had. They were exactly the same, they both had a gold cover that glistened in the light and were of the same size. He opened the one he had but found the content to have changed from when he read it.

"What the hell?" he said under his breath. It was then when his brain clicked and he realised that they'd been swapped from when he'd bumped into Musa. "That means the bag's hers?" He was just about to collect it and go give it to her, but those mental images of the black haired guy on top of her made him halt.

Just knowing that the journal was Musa's had prevented him from reading another word. Now though, those mental images had created a flame within him. The rage boiled inside. He threw her notebook on the ground and settled down with her journal. At last, he was going to get all his answers.

* * *

><p>"Goodnight!" Stella said after she parted with the group. She yawned as she stepped inside her room. From the sight before her, all she could do was choke. "Musa!" she gasped.<p>

Musa sat on the edge of her bed, hugging her knees. Her tear stained face was covered by her messy hair that had been tangled in Andy's hands. She looked serene but no one could hear the screams on the inside of her.

"Musa?" Stella whispered, shocked. She rushed up to her and wrapped her arms around the dressing gown she wore. "You okay? I-I don't know what to do?"

Musa stifled back a sob.

"What happened? Shall I get someone? Andy?"

"No! No…"

Stella hugged Musa tightly before releasing her. "Let's get you into bed." She undid the knot of Musa's dressing gown but stopped just as she was about to pull it off her friend. All she saw was bare skin. Stella stepped back and stared at Musa, wanting an explanation. "Why are you like this? What the hell happened?" she demanded, raising her voice.

"Andy…me and Andy. He got on me…"

Stella scoffed. A pang of hurt rushed through her. "Yeah. More like you and Andy finally got what you wanted!" She swallowed hard.

"No! It's nothing like you think."

"Then tell me?"

Musa stood up and looked at Stella head on. "I don't know. I couldn't stop it…"

"Why would you? You were enjoying every second!"

"It wasn't meant to happen! We were just coming back from the concert, he led me into here to tell me something and then before I knew it, we…" Musa started off strongly, but faded with a whisper.

"Don't give me that crap. You let it happen willingly." Stella rolled her eyes. No matter how furiously she blinked, tears welled up. She couldn't take it in. She didn't want to believe that her friend had broken her trust again, nor that she had backstabbed her and had slept with the guy she liked. It was all too much.

"No! It definitely didn't happen willingly!"

"Oh, so he raped you?"

"NO!" Musa's eyes turned into saucers. She couldn't get over the disbelief of hearing Stella accuse Andy of such a thing. Musa pulled Stella to the couch and sat her down.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Tough. You're gonna have to hear me out." Stella stuck her fingers in her ears, but Musa was quick to pull them out. "Just listen. Please."

"Spit it out." Stella spat with narrowed eyes.

"Okay. Right, so firstly, we didn't do it."

"You didn't?" Stella questioned, pretending to believe what Musa claimed.

"No." Musa shook her head from side to side. "I pushed him off before he had a chance to, you know, get inside. After that, I was just so shocked. I chucked him out after giving him a taste of this," Musa held up her fist and smirked. After seeing the look on Stella's face, Musa added, "If you don't believe me, you should see the state that Andy's in."

"I don't really know what to say."

"He's a jerk Stella. Why go after him when he didn't even realise you liked him?"

Stella smiled at Musa's gentleness. "Suppose you're right. I think I like someone else anyway."

"Oh?" Musa uttered, smirking. "Who is it?"

"A guy that was there at the bonfire. He's really nice."

"Anything that takes your mind off Andy!" Musa laughed as she went over to her bed. Stella switched off the lights and then glanced at Musa from her bed.

"Are you alright?" Stella asked after a long silence.

"I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Helia switched off the lights in his room and tucked himself into bed. "Are you blind?" Riven asked, switching on the lights again.<p>

Helia grunted from his bed. He didn't have any energy left. He opened one eye and gazed at Riven. A loud sigh followed.

"Don't say anything. I don't give a shit about her privacy."

"So you know the diary belongs to a girl?" Helia asked, propping himself on his elbow.

"Well, considering we also found women's lingerie in the bag with the journal, it was pretty obvious. Don't you think?"

Helia flushed at Riven's sarcastic comment. "I'm going to sleep. Night."

Riven laughed, amused at Helia's reply. By now, Riven had read half of the diary but hadn't found anything interesting. He didn't find her life's struggles or feelings fascinating. He was looking for different, something about Andy, or her current relationship status, but there was nothing.

He skipped a large chunk of her journal after getting bored and landed on the page about her dream guy. "This'll be good," Riven hissed. After being stunned by Musa's pickiness, he went to her most recent entry.

'…_she told me I'd meet him in another realm. At first I didn't believe it, but now that the radio company is actually sending me to Breconize, it feels so real. I was told that he'd be wearing a raven west, apparently fraying at the bottom and would be doing something that I also like doing.'_

"Riven, can you please switch off the light now?" Helia whined from under his duvet.

"Give me another minute. I need check if I have this…piece of clothing."

* * *

><p><strong>D-d-drama! <strong>


	12. Coincidence?

**Chapter 12: Coincidence?**

The sunlight pierced through the palm leaves, illuminating the south facing hotel rooms. A ray of sunlight hit Helia directly on his eyelid, making him groan. He sat up and muttered something groggily. It was much too early to wake up, even for him. He was about to screw his plans for the day and go back to bed, but the sound of snipping caught his attention.

"What are you doing?" Helia asked, rubbing his eyes.

Riven took a glimpse of Helia, almost getting blinded by his glowing skin, and then turned away.

"Um, hello? Riven? That's my vest you have there." Helia pointed out, rushing over to his friend on the other end of the room. He stood there, arms crossed to the back of Riven, waiting for some sort of reply.

"Yeah. I know that."

"My vest. _Mine._ What are you doing-" Helia walked around to front of Riven and screamed like a girl. He jumped back with splayed eyes, utterly shocked. "I think I'm going to faint…" he whispered.

"Go ahead."

Helia scoffed, but didn't dare snatch his vest away from Riven. He didn't fancy being pulped first thing in the morning but the vest that Riven had was his _favourite_. And it wasn't like his magenta haired friend was just borrowing it, oh no, he was cutting it up. Well, only the bottom of it.

"Do you know how much that vest cost me?" Helia placed his hands on his narrow hips.

"Don't know, don't give a shit." Riven shrugged, focusing solely on his task of getting the raven vest to fray.

Helia looked up at the heavens. "You know, you could've asked before taking it."

"Yup, 'cause you'd have definitely let me cut the bottom."

Helia looked up at the heavens once again, exasperated. Since Helia was always the nice guy, he surrendered, only on the basis of knowing that he wasn't going to get the vest back. He sighed, before plopping down on Riven's bed. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Make it fray."

"Oh…Does this have anything to do with the diary you were reading yesterday?" Helia cocked an eyebrow. He could see right through his friend, no matter how much Riven hated it.

"Maybe."

"Spill."

"Spill? Really? Helia, do you realise that you're sounding more like a girl every time you open your mouth?" Helia blushed at Riven's point.

"Uh…I meant, um…." He stuttered, scratching his head. "Do I really sound a girl?"

Riven nodded.

"Do you think I should cut my hair?" he asked, holding a thick lock of hair in his hand and examining it.

Riven rolled his eyes and pulled the vest over his bare chest."Sexy?" he quizzed, gesturing to his vest which was once Helia's.

"Now you're starting to sound like a girl."

"Atleast I don't have long hair." Riven remarked as he left the room, smirking to himself.

His smirk was for a lot of things. One reason being for provoking Helia, and managing to steal his vest. The other reason was for knowing that Musa was still single, despite the fact that she'd slept with Andy. That fact though, wasn't bothering Riven too much; in fact, he'd started doubting what he'd heard, hoping that he was just drunk after the bonfire. All he cared about now was the fact that she was going to be trapped in his cage.

He arrived at the beach in no time and made his way to the large stage by the cliffs. He had seen Musa at the concert the previous night, so it'd given him an idea of what she liked. Riven crept through the exit and found himself backstage. Luckily and much to his surprise, no one was patrolling the area. It was strange how they left all the expensive equipment behind. That though, was to his advantage. He searched around for a bit, until he finally found a closet full of acoustic guitars. "Perfect," he hissed and grabbed one.

After returning to the middle of the beach, far away from the giant stage, he sat himself down in the warm sand and fiddled around with the guitar until it sounded somewhat right to him, and then began strumming. Thankfully, he had learned to play the guitar when he was younger, but remembering a piece was proving to be a challenge. After a few minutes of frustration, he resorted to making a piece up. While he was busy perfecting it, he'd forgotten about a tiny little detail.

Half an hour later it finally came to him. "The girl!" He facepalmed, feeling defeated. What guarantee did he have that Musa was going to show? None. He felt stupid. Utterly stupid. He could just picture her, waking up next to Andy, smiling contently. It hurt just as much as being rejected.

He bit his tongue to distract his brain from the mental pain. He didn't even know why she meant so much to him; he didn't even know her for crying out loud!

He stumbled on to his feet and breathed out. He felt like yelling, throwing all his feelings out of his system. He grabbed the guitar, swung it over his head and smashed it on the ground.

"Whoa!" A gasp sounded from behind him. Riven was too angry to acknowledge the person, so he didn't bother turning around. The person behind him just watched him breathe deeply. She walked past him and stopped to admire the sea. He caught a sight of the girl's long blue hair that was being wisped in the strong wind. It made him slowly lifted his head up, and gaze at her as she pulled her cream coloured cardigan around her petite frame. "You don't get those things for free, you know," she said, half turning to him.

He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her face. He was baffled. What was this? It couldn't be a coincidence that she appeared, could it? When she didn't get a reply, she decided to carry on with her walk. "Where are you going?" Riven asked, quieter than he'd have liked.

"I-I was just going for a walk." Musa jut her thumb out to the shore behind her. They stood, eyes locked in each other's for a few seconds. "You're the same guy from yesterday, right?" Musa furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

Riven half smiled. "I am that guy." Once she smiled back, he silently approached her. "Mind if I join?" he asked, whilst looking at the horizon.

"Huh?"

"On your walk? If you don't want me to then-"

"Oh no. It's fine…" She started heading forwards, making squeaky sounds with her flip flops.

"Damn, those are going to annoy me." Riven buried his hands in his pockets as he trailed beside her.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry." Musa giggled a little, seeming quite distant, before continuing. "These were the only things I could find. I had to escape before Stella woke up."

"Stella…?"

"My friend."

Riven nodded. "I'm Riven by the way, and…you're name's Musa?"

"Yup. Different, isn't it?"

"Unique is more the word. It's nice…I like it." Riven replied thoughtfully.

Musa's eyes shimmered as she heard those words. Though, she was finding it hard to believe that Riven was the same guy she bumped in to, he had been pretty rude. The warm rush she felt was short-lived and a sullen expression soon adorned her features. Musa turned her face away from her company and looked out at the sea. She loved the peaceful sound of the waves crashing on each other. Though as much as she wanted, the waves didn't wash away her pain. The bottomless pit in her stomach just grew, and pangs of anxiety worsened her state.

Meanwhile, Riven was battling his inner self and trying to figure out what to say next. A good couple of minutes went by until he turned to Musa, but instead of showering her with compliments, he stopped, eyes transfixed on her expression. "What's wrong?" he breathed.

She jerked her head in his direction with a carefree smile that she'd just painted on a second ago. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"You don't look it," he stated. They then stopped and he stared at her, while she stared at the ground.

"I should go." Musa whispered and pushed past Riven.

Riven grit his teeth and stretched his hand out to grab her wrist. "Tell me," he demanded.

"Why? Who are you to me anyway?" she cried, tears pooling in her eyes for various reasons. Musa wasn't one just to go around dishing out her emotions to people she didn't even know properly. This was her issue, not his. The tone of his voice was also too hard, and she didn't like it. She was beginning to think that walking with him was a mistake.

She struggled in his grip for a while until he let go by himself after seeing too much of her distressed state. Musa stormed away with an angry pout. He watched her as she trudged through the sand and pulled her cardigan around herself tightly. He wasn't about to let her go without a fight. "Musa…" he called, chasing after her with a small run.

She furrowed her eyebrows in anger at the sound of her name. Her speed quickened and she stuck her middle finger out at him. Riven stopped and astonishment took over him. He couldn't believe that she just did that. Although, he did like her badass attitude, it was so much different from what he thought she was like from reading her diary. A strange feeling settled inside him, one which he hardly felt and that was the feeling of care. Was he falling in love with her? He repeated that question in his mind several times but then resolved it by shaking his head.

Suddenly his mobile started ringing.

'_Warning, warning! The person calling you is a c*nt! An absolute c*nt is calling you now. A complete and utter c*nt wants to talk to you. Do not pick up the phone or you'll be talking to a c*nt!'_

Riven smirked at his ringtone. He absolutely loved it. He had set it for each of his friends because he was so nice. He wasn't going to pick it up, but the person obviously was patient so kept ringing for a good few minutes. Finally, Riven gave in because the voice of the ringtone started annoying him. "What?" he snapped.

Helia, who was on the other line, rolled his eyes. "We're going down to breakfast in fifteen minutes with the girls. Hurry up and get here."

"What makes you think I want to have breakfast with you?"

"Awwh, did Riven's little plan fail? You're a bit cranky. Just get the fuck here!" Helia said sternly, not intimidated by Riven's angry tone.

Riven didn't reply but just disconnected the phone. He started walking back towards the hotel, figuring that going to the stupid breakfast was better than rotting on the beach. As he was marching through the rough sand, he stepped on something hard. He paused for a second but then dismissed whatever it was for a stone. Only when a gleam caught his eye, he looked back and realised that the hard object was a ring. He crouched down and carefully fished the metal circle from the sand. Shrugging, he tossed the ring up in the air and caught it, and then shoved it in his pocket.

* * *

><p>"You look great today, Stella." Brandon told her when she came out of her room. She wore he hair in a messy bun on top of her head, and a simple, strapless lilac dress with heeled wedges.<p>

"Did I not look good yesterday?" she headed towards where everyone else was stood. Her tone had been regardless, confusing Brandon because he thought she liked him a little.

"That's not what I meant." He assured her once he was at her side.

Stella paused, thinking about the previous night. Why was she behaving like this? Did she still have a thing for Andy? Brandon was taking interest in her and she was just pushing him away. She was acting the opposite of who she was. Andy was history now, but her past feelings for him still dwelled inside her, making her act differently. She needed to get control over her emotions again. She sighed outwardly and then smiled at Brandon. "I'm sorry. Thank you for the compliment."

"What's up?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm just tired and when I'm tired, I get quite cranky."

"So I see." Brandon laughed, and was soon joined by Stella.

"Morning, Stel." Bloom greeted. "Where's Musa?"

The other girls also looked at Stella for an answer. "I don't know. I woke up this morning and she was nowhere to be seen. She was there yesterday when I got back, but-" Stella stopped herself, knowing that Musa wouldn't want everyone to know of her incident.

"But?" Layla gestured for her to continue.

"What's up, guys?"

"Musa!" Bloom announced cheerily. "Where were you?" her eyes narrowed at her friend.

"I just went for a walk…jeez!" Musa put her arms up in surrender.

"Bloom, let it go." Flora placed a hand on the ginger's shoulder. "Musa, these are the guys you met yesterday." Flora quickly got them and Musa acquainted and told her that they were going to go breakfast together.

"How was your interview?" Tecna inquired as the group made their way to the end of the corridor.

"Good, I suppose."

"Uh-oh! Musa doesn't sound too happy about her job." Layla chimed in and linked arms with her friend.

"I am happy with it. It's great." Musa held up her fake smile long enough for Layla to address another matter.

"Hold on! What about Andy?" The group stopped at Layla's outburst.

"Someone go get him, it wouldn't be fair if we just left him." Timmy said.

Sky nodded and started walking towards Andy's room.

Musa hesitantly swallowed. She had a funny feeling that he wasn't going to be happy about getting disturbed, and she didn't exactly want him to join them. "Wait! I think he said something about being busy." Musa rushed. Luckily, she was a good liar, so Sky bought it.

"Alright then." Sky said slowly, returning to the group.

"Who said I'm busy? I had just gone for a drink." A nonchalant voice spoke.

Everyone turned to face the guy who'd spoken but Musa. "Whoa, dude! What happened to you?" Nabu exclaimed.

Andy glanced at Musa but only saw the back of her head. "Some crazy bitch just-…forget it."

His words stabbed Musa. Atleast she came to a conclusion that they were no longer friends. All their closeness just vanished in that second. And to some extent, that hurt. She had lost one of her closest friends due to his misunderstanding and some of her punches.

Stella looked at Musa, giving her a surprised and proud look. Musa caught her glance and returned it with a smile.

"The breakfast here should cheer you up." Helia told him, unsure of how to react in this situation.

"Nothing's going to make me feel better." Andy grumbled, deliberately as he walked past Musa.

Musa felt the knot in her stomach tighten. She could've taken anything else but that type of verbal revenge. She didn't want to be enemies; she didn't hate Andy that much. She would've liked to make everything better, but she believed that everything happened for a reason, and maybe the lesson here was that Andy wasn't worthy of her friendship.

Stella punched the down button of the elevator and everyone soon crammed into it and were on their way to the breakfast room.

The room was huge, but that wasn't a surprise considering the hotel was five star. The décor inside wasn't too fancy making it just right for a casual eating room. A waiter soon showed the large group to a large table and everyone took a seat.

They ordered their drinks, and then cleared off to the breakfast buffet. The only two people left on the table were Andy and Musa, causing the air around them fill with awkwardness. Musa tried looking away but couldn't help notice that Andy's injured leg was preventing him from getting up. She didn't know what to do. No way was she going to help him, even though it was her fault. She closed her eyes to steady herself before going to the buffet.

"What can I get you, sir?" a waiter asked Andy. The brown haired boy wore a sympathetic expression.

Andy looked at him, confused as to why he was here. He then caught sight of Musa a few metres behind the waiter and realised that she'd sent him. Musa gasped when she noted that Andy had seen her, so she scurried off.

Questions and doubt arose in Andy's mind. The memories of last night came to his head and he wondered why she'd behaved in the way in which she did. It was clear to him that she felt something towards him.

Andy's trail of thought was disrupted when the waiter repeated himself. "Sorry," mumbled Andy and then placed his order.

"Hey, is this Sky's table?" a blunt voice asked Andy.

Andy turned his head and saw Riven, the guy who he'd seen Musa with at the beach. Riven raised his eyebrow, remembering where he'd seen the guy who was now badly bruised. "You?" they both sounded equally displeased.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know how I feel about this chapter? I could've extended some scenes and blah, but whatever.<strong>

**What did you guys think? Leave me a review with your thoughts and opinions. People without accounts can review too!**


	13. Prissy

**Chapter 13: Prissy**

"What happened to you? Rough night?" Riven said, being sarcastic. Inside, he was rather confused about Andy's state after knowing that he was in bed with Musa.

Andy blankly stared back. He didn't like Riven's attitude, so found it pointless to even attempt to talk to him.

"You deaf or something?" Riven rolled his eyes and took a seat.

"Are you blind or something?" Andy bit back, after a long pause.

Riven raised his eyebrows at his reply. "What?" Riven almost laughed.

"Well, you obviously can't see that I don't want to talk to you."

Riven's lips parted slightly at the rude statement. He just felt like laughing in Andy's face. Before Riven had the chance to start a fight, the others got back to the table, balancing plates of food in their hands.

"Bon appetite." Sky said as he set Bloom's plate of food in her place.

"Sky, you really didn't have to carry the plate," Bloom gushed, taking her seat next to her lover.

"Romantic gesture, accept it!" Stella winked, making Bloom redden and everyone else snicker. Among the smiles of the large group, Riven and Andy sat with bored expressions.

"I'll be right back."

"Riven? When did you get here?" Helia inquired, earning himself an irritated sigh from Riven. All the members of the group looked at Riven. Musa was in her own little world, so was the last one to look up, but when she did, her eyes broadened within milliseconds.

Riven opened his mouth to answer but then caught Musa's gaze. She appeared to be biting her lip, something she did when she was thinking. Even when she wasn't at her best, Riven still found her mesmerising. He felt the need to talk to her about what happened between them early that morning, but how could he get her out of the breakfast room without everyone suspecting something? "Uh…" he tried ripping his eyes away from her but she was too much of a magnet.

Tecna noticed the way he was gaping at something, so she followed his gaze and found his eyes to be rooted on her friend. "Oh!" she exclaimed in a mischievous way. This caused the group to divert their attention from Riven to Tecna.

"What happened, sweetie?" Flora asked, mindlessly stirring her cereal.

"Nothing. Nothing!" Tecna rushed, swatting her hand in the air.

"Well, then let's eat. Don't know about you, but I'm famished!" Nabu announced, rubbing his stomach. Everyone agreed, and tucked into their now cold food. During that time, Riven also slipped away, managing to tap Musa on his way out.

Goosebumps pimpled on the area of skin where he'd touched her. A strange feeling swirled inside her stomach that kept her from going to him. Yes, she had got the hint, but was unsure of what to do. She sat and picked at her scrambled eggs for a few minutes, until making the excuse of needing the toilet.

"What happened with interrogating Riven?" Layla asked playfully, stuffing herself with bacon.

"Wait…where is Riven?" Helia asked with narrow eyes.

On the way out of the breakfast room, Musa frantically fixed her hair, though ended up scowling at her foolish behaviour. She wasn't desperate, so why did she bother? She breathed out calmly and then scanned for Riven.

Someone cleared their throat behind Musa, startling her. "Turn around." The person, blatantly Riven, whispered, placing his hands on Musa's shoulders.

Usually, she wouldn't stand for that type of physical contact, but something about Riven allowed her to lose her pride for the moment. Carefully, she turned on her heel and was faced with his chest. She didn't dare look up. The mere thought of his violet eyes made her freeze.

"I-I'm sorry about before." Riven said lightly, pouring away his ego with the apology.

Musa ran a hand through her hair. She had no idea of how to explain herself, nor did she know where she stood with Riven, or whether or not she trusted him. "I…I just…"

"It doesn't matter. Sometimes it's easier to be alone."

"Yeah." Musa beamed up at him, silently thanking him for understanding. Hardly anyone ever understood her, so it felt strangely relieving that he did. Her smile sent Riven to somewhere he'd never been before. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Nothing right then mattered because she was smiling. It was as if everything was perfect and that feeling made warmth surge through him. He returned her smile with his infamous smirk and got lost in her eyes in the process. Her beauty wasn't the only thing he liked about her, it was just the way she was. She was just it.

Riven had no control of what he did after that.

His arms found themselves encasing Musa in their grip, and his lips found themselves falling towards hers. Musa felt her eyelids closing and awaited the kiss. The moment felt surreal. Things like this didn't happen to her. She didn't want to lose this moment, so she played it to her advantage and her hands crawled their way to Riven's neck and rested there, bringing his head forward.

Riven was taken aback when he felt her soft touch. He abruptly came to his senses. What was he doing? He quickly stepped back, hoping that he hadn't made her upset. "Don't take this the wrong way."

Musa was dazed, unable to respond. She didn't really know how she felt. She didn't feel hurt or angry. The moment for her felt like a dream anyway, so it was like gaining consciousness in the middle of the best part.

Riven saw her senseless state and swallowed, hoping that she wasn't numb due to the amount of hurt from his rejection. The one and only thing that came to his mind was to convince her that he did want her. He roughly grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the hotel, where there weren't any receptionists staring at them. Musa was literally staggering behind him, and each time her feet hit the ground, her mind awoke. When she was somewhat alert, she found herself in the hotels lush front garden. She was standing among the blades of grass, while Riven was pacing a few metres in front of her.

"Why are we out here?" Musa asked, almost as if she had no clue about the past events.

He stared at her. She stared back.

Riven processed his words carefully as he didn't want to offend her. "Are you alright?"

Musa furrowed her eyebrows and just as she did, a surge of reality settled upon her. She swore her eye was twitching with anger. She was angry with herself and with Riven. "You absolute-"

"Would you like to go out with me?" Riven held his breath as soon as his words blurted out. It was sure one way of rectifying his mistake.

Musa blinked furiously. He seemed to be a decent guy by taking everything step by step. "Y-yes." That was a no brainer. She smiled up at him, making the inside of him go all fuzzy.

Before he could melt, he turned away. "I'll be outside your room at seven. Make sure you're ready." With that, he strolled away, leaving the air filled with mystery.

Musa felt the butterflies in her stomach die down, and as soon as they did, she rushed back to the breakfast room. When she got there, she realised that everyone had finished eating and were just sipping either their coffee or milky tea.

"Musa, you're back! We thought you'd drowned in the toilet."

Musa scoffed. "But you didn't come to find me? Some friends you guys are!" Musa expressed jokily.

Flora wrapped Musa in a hug. "You know we love you!" She said, rocking her friend from side to side.

"I do." She confirmed, beaming. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm dragging you guys shopping after breakfast! I need help with a new outfit!"

"You had me at shopping!" Stella squealed.

"Wow. I'd never thought I'd see the day when Musa does a Stella." Layla said, faking to be bewildered. Musa laughed at her friend's comment and punched her on the arm.

"Why do you need a new outfit? Special occasion?" Bloom inquired.

"You could say that."

Tecna rolled her eyes, knowing that Musa was never straight talking. "Care to elaborate?"

"Shall do. Just not now."

"I don't like this. I'm feeling kinda left out here." Brandon pouted, finding it almost impossible to hide his smirk since his friends were snickering.

"N'awh. You guys can tag along too!" Layla suggested, playing along.

"Actually, we're good thanks. Us guys, including Andy, are planning on going jet-skiing." Nabu put in, purposely. His smirk grew as he saw Layla's amused expression vanish.

"No fair!"

"Got you!"

"Oh, my god." Layla face palmed, as everyone laughed at her.

The guys and the girls parted ways, leaving the breakfast room in peace. Musa was glowing as the she browsed collection after collection in the hotel's mall.

"You still haven't told us why you need a new outfit." Flora stated, examining a skimpy looking dress and chucking it away disapprovingly.

"Oh, yeah." Musa stopped the girls and grinned. "The thing is…I have a date!" she announced excitedly.

Her friends' faces were soon adorned with wide grins too as they 'ooh-ed' Musa. "Who with?" Stella asked.

"Not telling." Musa sang, resuming with searching through racks of clothing.

"Unfair. We're like your sisters!" Bloom pointed out.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll tell you guys when I find out later." Stella assured her ginger friend.

"Oh, really?" Musa raised her eyebrows. "That's only if I decide to tell you."

"Best friend has a right." Stella objected, earning an eye roll from Musa.

"Musa can tell who she wants. Let's just get out of here. I'm craving for beach volley-ball."

"I'm with Layla. Physically shopping does my head in. The internet wasn't invented for nothing you know!"

"Well, Tec, it wasn't invented just for shopping either." Stella argued.

"But it's so much easier. You type in what you want, have a look at it and add it to your basket. It's so much less stressful that sifting through racks of clothes to find one thing." Tecna also had a valid point, though, Stella of course didn't agree with it.

"Ah, but you can't try it on, can you?"

"Actually, nowadays, with new modern magical technology-"

"Yeah. Psh. Psh. Shush! You win. End of." Stella surrendered.

"Girls, what do you think?" Flora quizzed, holding up an ultra simple dress. It was hugging, not tight, stopped mid-thigh, and had slightly poofy sleeves.

"Yes! Black with white polka dots is just too chic! You have to get it!" Stella declared.

"Alright. If the fashion expert says so!" Musa agreed, taking the dress off Flora and thanking her for finding it.

"Finally. Let's get out of here!" Layla sighed, smiling.

* * *

><p>"Riven, that is outrageous!" Helia gasped.<p>

Timmy nodded in agreement; though, he didn't expect any less from his friend. "I can't believe you're treating this like a game."

"Guys, you're making it sound bad. Just shut up and help?"

"No way, man. I am out of this. She's Bloom's friend. Bloom'll hate me if she finds out about this disgusting plan." Sky put his hands up as a sign of backing out.

"Oh, so if Bloom wasn't in the picture, you'd side Riven?" Helia questioned, astonished at Sky.

"Eh, why not? It's just fun!"

"Please hold me down before I go hit my head on a wall!" Helia cried, throwing himself on his bed.

"Forget miss priss. Nabu, Brandon, you guys gonna help?"

"I-I don't know…it-well, it's quite bad. I mean, you can't just go around playing around with her emotions like that!" Nabu struggled with his words.

"Why not? It's just for a laugh. C'mon!" Riven begged. He knew that if he got Nabu on his side, everyone else would follow considering they thought him to be wise.

"Hang on. Before we say anything, explain what we have to do? 'Cause as long as I don't get into any shit if she finds out, I'm in."

"Alright, Brandon. Listen up." Riven said, and sat up straight.

"Yeah. Hold on. First, drop the patronising voice."

"Done. So, basically, you guys have to vouch for me to Musa and her friends, help me impress her and get me a copy of newest diary entries. Then just watch as she falls into our trap, and when we leave, damn, it'll be the funniest thing ever!"

"I can picture it already…" Nabu murmured, holding back his smirk.

"We'll get killed if she finds out though. Then again, we'll leave before Musa can attack." Brandon observed.

"Exactly! No harm done." Riven leaned back on his bed.

"I can't believe you guys. Especially you, Nabu!" Helia exclaimed from his bed.

"Oh, shut up, Helia. Just 'cause these guys are men, unlike some people laying on their beds…" Riven trailed off, knowing that he'd made his point.

"Oh, please. If you guys were men, you'd know how daft it is to play with a woman's emotions!" Helia shouted, his face red with rage. After his outburst, everything was fairly silent. He hoped that he'd got to his friends but it didn't seem so.

Riven and Brandon guffawed, whilst the other three snickered quietly. "Prissy, prissy, prissy!" They all chanted.

Helia lost all hope in modern humans, noticing that sense was something they'd been robbed of at birth. He sighed and headed for the door. "Screw you guys."

Riven steadied his breath. "Y-you better not be going to tell her!"

Helia paused, an evil smirk spread on his lips. "What a good idea…" he slurred slowly.

Riven's eyes widened. "Get him!" At their friend's command, Brandon and Sky lunged at Helia, pinning him to the floor before he had a chance to escape.

"I think my bones are crushed." Helia squeaked from under his muscular friends.

Riven snorted at the sight. "Don't you dare think of ever telling her."

Brandon and Sky released Helia, allowing him to sit up. "Unfortunately, you guys are my friends, so I'm _not_ going to snitch on you. But let me warn you, this whole thing will flop and kick you right up your ass, Riven."

"Whatever. Does this mean you're in?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this…"

* * *

><p><strong>So the fun begins! I'm enjoying writing this, it gets my mind off so much rubbish happening all around me. <strong>

**Anyway, drop me some reviews. I'd like to know what you're making of the action so far. Also, since Valentine's is coming up, should I include the day in the fic or not?**


	14. Shush

**Chapter 14: Shush**

Helia face palmed as his friend, Brandon, peeped through the bottom of Musa's door. He questioned himself again, wondering why he'd given in to the plan. It wasn't because of the names his friends were calling him or the fact they didn't think he was a man; he only agreed because he couldn't let his friends down. It was strange; he cared about them way too much. "Brandon, you're going to get us caught. You're drawing attention!" Helia hissed frantically. He had just turned away groaning after a couple of boys had walked past. "Brandon?"

"Helia, calm down. You're just paranoid." Brandon jumped back on his feet with a quiet grunt.

"If you get us thrown out of the hotel for being perverts-"

"Relax, dude."

Helia shoved Brandon's hand off his shoulder and shook his head. He was beginning to think that his friend had no conscience. Helia's eyes were half hooded as his friend continued.

"Anyway…no-one's in there. We can go in." Brandon explained then watched as Helia sighed. It was obvious that he was hoping the room would be occupied. Brandon's fingers danced across his touch screen phone as he sent Riven a message. Communication for the plan would be vital. The guys that weren't doing the 'dirty work' were going to act as backup if something went wrong.

"That's all fine. But I think our genius, Riven, forgot about a little detail."

"Oh. Would that happen to be the key?" Brandon smirked, holding up the swipe card in his palm. Leaving Helia astounded, he swiped the card in the lock. At first it didn't open, so Brandon had to try again. Then he grabbed Helia's arm and dragged him inside before anyone suspected something.

"Riven's good." Helia declared.

"Yup." Brandon agreed. The boys stood in front of the room's two beds and observed the place.

"He thinks of everything. Wait, how did he get the key anyway?" Helia narrowed his eyes, hoping his friend hadn't done anything illegal.

"That…is quite an interesting story." Brandon took a glimpse of Helia's cocked eyebrow and continued without further ado, "Basically, he went down to reception and told them the number of this room, saying that he'd lost the key. They're all dumbasses down there, so without checking the register, they gave him a spare one!"

Helia nodded whilst frowning. It wasn't a bad idea.

"He's good, isn't he?" Brandon asked with sly smirk.

"Yes." Helia sighed.

"Right. So if you were a diary, where would you be?"

Helia rolled his eyes at that, but was glad that they'd finally got down to business. "More like, if I were a girl, where would I put my diary."

"That also." Brandon rested his hands on his hips. He grinned sheepishly whilst watching Helia casually stride over to Musa's bedside drawer and pull out their treasure. "A'right!"

"Let's go now."

"You could sound happier about finding it so easily!"

"No. Just unlock the door." Helia ordered with no emotion in his tone.

Brandon rummaged around in his pocket for the key and then inserted it into the lock. "Dude, it's not working!"

"Try again." Helia insisted, getting tired. He wanted to go back and tell Riven that he wasn't going to do anything else, no matter how easy the task was.

"I can't believe how cheap it was!" Bloom exclaimed as she happily walked down the corridor alongside her friends. They were all arm in arm, with colourful shopping bags in between them. You could say they almost resembled a walking rainbow.

"That-" Stella cut herself off, taking a moment to balance her numerous bags on her arm. "That's the wonder of the sale, darlin'!" she laughed, sounding slightly worn out after carrying so much shopping back from the shops.

"For once, I might have to agree with Stella. Even I found something!" Tecna announced, giggling with the rest of her friends as she held up her bags. Her count of her bags was almost the same as Stella's, believe it or not. The purple haired girl had gotten a bit carried away, but everything that was her style just happened to be on reduction.

"So, what do you have to say about internet shopping now?" Layla challenged.

"It just isn't as fun, I suppose!"

"You got that right!" Musa chipped in with a wide grin.

"Only if you don't have awesome friends like us!" Stella laughed. The girls agreed as they headed back to their rooms to dump their shopping, before heading out to the beach. Even Musa had some free time on her hands so was going to be joining them.

"Er, is that the girls I hear?" Brandon inquired with broad eyes. He made a sheepish sound as he glanced at Helia, who didn't look very happy.

"We're screwed. Completely screwed. And it's all Riven's fault. I can't-" Helia went on, throwing up his arms all over the place.

Brandon cut Helia off on his rushed rant. It wasn't buying them any time, in fact, it just made his hands shake. "Now is not the time! What do we do?" Brandon hissed, going into panic mode.

"Why are you asking me?"

Brandon glared at Helia as the girls' footsteps drew closer. "You're meant to be the clever one here!" He paused for a second, listening to their thundering heels. He gulped, picturing the girls kicking him with them after they were caught.

"Right. Okay…" Helia's whole body tensed as he sensed the girls stop in front of the door. "Um, surrender?"

Brandon swore he felt his hands reach out to strangle his friend. "No! We're going to be caught thanks to you!" Brandon cowered in fear, his whole hand was trembling.

"Stella, get the key out. What are you waiting for?"

"What are you talking about, darling? I gave it to you." Stella squinted, trying to remember if she'd actually done that.

"Um. No you didn't." Musa clearly stated.

"Yes, I did." Stella protested, now pouting.

"You have got to be kidding me." Musa covered her face with her hand as she shook it from side to side.

"Brandon?"

"Yes?" Brandon whispered, standing still to prevent any moving shadows to be seen from the outside.

"We're screwed." Helia squeaked, gulping. Unlike his friend, he was trembling. He only wanted one thing and that was just to see the dawn the next day.

"Not completely. The girls seem to have lost their key!" Brandon whispered, sounding as excited as a kid receiving candy. "That buys us time!"

"We can't exactly escape, they'll see us!"

"Yeah, but we can hide?" Helia and Brandon exchanged looks and then scurried under a bed.

"Stella, you had the key last! Or how did you get out the room for breakfast?" Musa narrowed her eyes at her blonde friend. The girls had set their bags on the ground and had started with one of their full on arguments.

Stella chuckled foolishly. "Oh. Uh, well…No. Hang on! How did you get out the room for your little walk if you didn't have the key?"

Musa stopped. "Um. Yes. But then you came out after me, so how did-"

"Forget it. Let's just both check!" Stella searched her handbag, but had no luck. So she went onto checking her shopping just like Musa. "Any luck?" Stella called.

"Nope. But I seem to have found a complimentary necklace with this top." Musa replied, intrigued by the object.

"Oooh, let me see?" Stella spun around.

"Stella, please. Just get back to searching." Musa said sternly, causing her friend to return to her ransacking.

"I don't think it's going to be in our shopping. Have you checked your bag?"

"My bag…No." Musa answered thoughtfully. She twirled in a full circle but she couldn't spot it anywhere. "Is it by you?"

"Your bag? No, sorry." Stella paused, shaking her head. Musa furrowed her eyebrows and huffed in exhaustion. Stella went over to her friend and leaned against her. The pair was rather tired, and even with Stella's no mess hairspray on their heads, their hair was still a chaotic mess. "Now what?" Stella breathed, fanning her herself.

"I've lost my bag." Musa told her.

"Is it at the shops? You might have left it?"

Musa shook her head. "I haven't seen it since like yesterday."

"Then how did you pay for the clothes?" Stella stepped away from her friend to check underneath their shopping bags.

"I had my wallet. I always keep that in my pocket." Musa informed her friend. Furrowing her thin eyebrows, she thought back to the events of the previous night. She had no clue as per to where her bag was. She was sure she'd had it with her after the concert, and she'd returned straight to her room after that.

"It's definitely not here." Stella confirmed, running a hand through her messed hair, and wincing at the realisation that she looked awful.

"Is there a reason to why they haven't come in yet? They should've found the key by now." Helia asked, massaging the cramp in his calf muscle.

"Maybe they're planning to ambush us! I think they know!" The paranoia had passed from Helia to Brandon, who looked like he was shielding his face from slaps. Helia sighed at his friend's panicked tone and realised that he must've sounded stupid too.

"I don't think so. Maybe they've left? Let's check?" Helia crawled on the ground just like army men, till he reached the door. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked for shoes.

"Girls, why are you still outside your room?" Flora asked, leading her other three friends to Musa and Stella. Helia heard her sweet tone sound from the other end of the corridor, and that's when he scrambled back to Brandon. He curled himself into a ball once he was under the bed again, and started praying for mercy.

"They're still outside…aren't they?" To Brandon's question, Helia nodded. The brown haired guy frowned and then let his head fall onto the carpet.

"Musa lost the key." Stella replied to Flora's question.

"Excuse me? _I_ did not lose the key!" Musa snapped, turning to glare at Stella. Tecna shook her head at their dispute and then went to examine the lock. She hoped for the best and swiped her own card in the lock, but her try was unsuccessful. Bloom saw what Tecna was doing, but her friend's frown showed that it hadn't worked, so Bloom also scowled.

Tecna joined the girls after her failed attempt. Her frown was soon turned upside down and became an amused smirk once she saw the glaring contest taking place between the blonde and Musa. "Go, Musa!" she cheered, causing Stella to glance at her and blink.

"Ha, I win!" Musa smiled triumphantly. Stella stomped her foot on the ground and pouted in defeat, whilst the other girls laughed.

"Now that that's over, why don't you go get a spare key from reception?" Layla suggested, simply eager to go indulge in some sport.

Stella's lips parted at Layla's comment, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I don't know? Why didn't you!" Musa shot Stella glare as the rest of the group rolled their eyes.

Shortly after, Layla began dragging Flora away from the group. "Can we go now? We'll meet you guys at the beach."

Musa shrugged indifferently. Layla took that as an agreement, so headed towards the hotel's back exit, which led to the beach that was past the pool. "Wait. I'll walk down to reception with you guys. Stella, you stay here and look after the things."

"How long's it been?"

"Shh. I'm trying to listen!" Brandon snapped, shutting Helia up.

"Hurry with the key, darlin'!" Stella waved.

"What?" Helia asked concerned.

"They-She's going down to reception for the _key!_" Brandon cried. Panic once again surged through his body. He smacked his hands down on the carpet to get up.

"Where are you going?" Helia grabbed his friend's shirt and pulled him back, causing Brandon to hit his head on the side of the bed.

"Ow!"

"Heh. Sorry. But what do you think you're doing?" Helia slowly got his hand to retreat. He knew that Brandon was getting pissed at him, so it was a smart move.

Brandon huffed to calm himself. He had to work with Helia, or they'd both be toast. "I think you forgot, 'cause we have the spare key! They'll be suspicious if Musa comes back empty handed. And the receptionist might even tell Musa who took it!" Brandon explained, in a low but panicked whisper.

Helia's eyes splayed at his friend's words. He was right. If that happened, then they'd definitely be screwed _and _he'd have a bad reputation. "I understand that," Helia began calmly, "But how's your getting up going to help."

"Just trust me. I have an idea." Brandon assured him as a smirk spread across his lips. He clambered to his feet and went over to the door. He closed his eyes and wished that Stella wasn't staring at the ground. Then, he spontaneously brought the key card to his lips before sliding it under the door.

Stella was leaning against the wall beside the door. She was irritated, even though she'd had a good shopping spree. Her head was bowed down because she was ashamed of her appearance. Though, she didn't look as bad as she thought. Yes, her hair was in tangled up and her face was shiny due to the heat, but the rest of her looked fine. Lucky for Brandon, her eyes were closed, so she didn't see the card suddenly appear from underneath her door.

After doing what he had to do, Brandon rushed back to Helia. "Now, dude, just pray that she spots it before Musa gets to the reception!"

Strangely enough, just as Brandon said that, Stella's eyes opened. It also wasn't long till she spotted the silver card lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise and she crouched down to pick the key up. A smile graced her lips as she phoned Musa on speed dial.

"Hey, I'm almost there." Musa informed Stella before her friend could complain about her slowness.

Stella wasn't really listening; she was too busy smiling at the key. "You won't believe it, darling, but I found the key!"

Musa stopped and jumped to the side before she collided with someone. "No way!"

Stella giggled out of relief. "Yes way! It was just lying on the floor, as if someone had put it there for me to find!"

"Well, that's good. I'm coming back now, so see you in a bit." Musa sighed and then made her way back to her room. What a day it had been.

Eventually, she arrived in front of her room only to find that her stuff had been transported inside. She raised her eyebrows in surprise of Stella doing some work. "Musa! Welcome!" Stella greeted as she swung open the door. She'd obviously heard Musa groan out of fatigue outside their room a moment ago.

"Save it. I'm too tired to talk." Musa ran to her bed before flinging herself onto it. Her arms were spread out wide and a content smile adorned her face. She kicked off her shoes and just rest there for a minute.

"No time for resting. You can do that on the beach." Stella gently tugged on Musa's arm. Musa whined like a little kid, and rolled over to side with her back to Stella. The mere thought of walking to the beach seemed terrifying at the moment. She wanted to sleep. Plus, she didn't want to have dark circles under her eyes for her date, which she was rather nervous about. "Musa!" the blonde shrieked. Her loud and shrill voice seemed to do the trick. Musa sat up with a startle; then glared at Stella.

"Fine. Have it your way!" Musa said through gritted teeth. She hastily got up, grabbed her bikini and pair of clothes from one of her many shopping bags, and dashed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Okay…" Stella said under her breath. "I'll get changed out here! It's okay, Musa!"

"Good!" Musa shouted back.

Stella mumbled random things angrily, as she stomped around the room and decided on an outfit. She pulled out her new, white one-piece swimsuit which had a gold piece that would rest in between her breasts, and picked a hot pink summer dress. Carrying the clothes in her arms, Stella dumped them on her bed and tied her hair up.

Brandon shuffled back a little so she wouldn't step on his fingers. Helia signalled to Brandon to stay quiet because he mistook his shuffling for struggling to keep back a sneeze. Brandon signalled back that he was fine, relieving Helia. Helia had managed to calm himself down, despite the fact that the girls had walked in. He was now solely concentrating on being silent and still. Suddenly, the sound of humming transfixed him. He suppressed back a laugh. He didn't even know why it was so funny, it was perfectly normal. Maybe the boredom was getting to him?

Brandon exchanged glances with his friend who was to his left. Even he had an amused expression on his face. He covered his mouth to stop himself snorting with laughter.

Stella was the one who was humming. It was something she unintentionally did whilst she was changing. She pulled off her top and chucked it on the ground. Helia gasped without making a sound at seeing the garment land a few inches in front of Brandon. Then from the sheets that were dangling by the side of the bed, covering the two of them, two ankles appeared. Brandon went wide eyed as he saw them. Now, even if he breathed, the hot air from his nostrils was sure to alert Stella. Helia shifted, and started rocking Brandon side to side. This of course, wasn't helping, so Brandon swatted his hand away. There was a light smacking noise, but Stella didn't hear it over her humming which seemed to gradually get louder.

She stepped back making her heels get further near Brandon's face. Helia raised his eyebrows as if in anticipation of waiting for Stella to kick Brandon's nose. Although that didn't happen, something else quite alarming on Brandon's part did.

A lace trimmed, pink with black polka dotted piece of clothing slid down Stella's legs and rested on her ankles. Brandon gulped when he realised that it was her underwear. Helia stifled back another laugh after seeing his friend's expression. It was a sight to capture.

Helia crawled next to Brandon, knowing why it was hard for him because he liked Stella. And even though they couldn't see her naked body, they were still in the presence of it. "Don't look up." Helia warned Brandon with a mischievous grin on his face. Brandon's eyes broadened as he gave Helia a shove. Helia laughed silently and enjoyed watching Brandon flush as red as a traffic light.

"This…is awkward." Brandon grumbled as Stella kicked away her panties and bent down to put on her swim-suit. Helia was leaning against the wall at the back of the bed, having what looked like a fit since he was clutching his stomach with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. His legs also seemed to have a mind of their own as they were kicking. Seeing Helia made Brandon pout in annoyance. This was not turning out to be a good experience for him. Just as he was thinking that, he caught a glimpse of Stella's butt. He quickly shielded his eyes. Helia put together the puzzle pieces and then realised what was going on. Once again, he had to try hard to restrain his howls of laughter.

"Oh, come on, Stel. How long does it take?" Musa snapped, coming out of the bathroom wearing a pair of denim shorts and a white baggy t-shirt on top of her bikini. Stella was perfecting her natural make-up and she still had her bag to pack.

"Sorry! But someone hogged the bathroom."

Musa rolled her eyes at the response. "Whatever. I'm waiting outside." Musa told her friend, and strolled out to the corridor. Stella soon joined her and the two successfully locked the door and went on their way.

"Can we come out now?" Helia asked, recovering from his silent laughing fit.

"I think so." Brandon crept out and then nodded to Helia, telling him that they were gone from the corridor. Helia brushed off the dust from his trousers when he stood up and sighed. He was glad it was over.

"Let's get out of here." Helia headed to the door, more eager than before to leave.

"Wait." Brandon held Helia back by grabbing his long hair.

"Ow!" Helia complained, snatching his hair back from his friend and sending him daggers through his glares.

"We're locked in. They left with our key, remember?"

Helia's eyes widened. This was great, another problem in the space of fifteen minutes. "We're screwed. This time, it's because of you! You gave them the key!"

Brandon scratched the back of his neck. Had he just doomed Helia and himself? It looked like it.

"Sorry, dude but we'd be dead either way, 'cause Musa would've found out about Riven getting the spare key."

Helia nodded slowly, realising that Brandon had a point. Suddenly, at the mention of his magenta haired friend's name, he cried, "Riven! Why didn't we call him sooner?"

Brandon's expression became hopeful as he pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. "We're saved!"

* * *

><p><strong>Now that is how you elaborate a scene! Haha. I tried to keep it as interesting as possible and bunged in what I thought was humour, don't know if you laughed or not? Also, I don't know how I portrayed Helia, apologies if you thought he was OOC.<strong>

**Critique for a cookie? **


	15. Volley Ball

**Hey! HEY! I'm not on the moon, even though it seems like I've fallen off the planet. It's been a month since I've updated this story, and for that I apologise. ****But I'm back and that too with a new chapter, as you can see! Hope you can forgive me. I promise my next update won't take so long!**

**Previously: Helia and Brandon were left locked in Stella and Musa's room. They'd gone in there to get Musa's diary for Riven, but ended up trapped in there after the girls returned and left locking the room. They've just called Riven for help. **

**One last thing- Helia's quite OOC in this. It was for the humor...which might or might not be funny to you. Enjoy nevertheless!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Volley Ball<strong>

"You idiot."

"Thanks. But just get your arse over here and get us out! Helia seems to be hyperventilating." Brandon told Riven through the phone. He was sitting on Stella's bed, surrounded by her sweet, mango and star fruit scent that she'd left behind. The perfume particles tingled in his nose, but Brandon was too preoccupied to notice.

"I'm sure he is." Riven replied in a sarcastic tone, meaning that he didn't believe Brandon.

"Trust me, he really is." Brandon turned his neck in Helia's direction. Helia was in fact actually hyperventilating; and was also pacing around the room, with one hand on his hip and another brushing through his long hair every now and again. His face was plastered in sweat due to his nerves which were getting the better of him. If the girls were to come back, he would've surely fainted.

"Give him the damn phone!" Riven ordered. Brandon did as he was asked, and soon enough, Helia had the device to his ear.

"Riven? Please. Please get us out of here! Please! Just do something! Anything!" Helia cried.

Riven on the other end sighed in annoyance. Swatting is hand around, the other boys, who were crowded around him like a vultures to a dead animal, stepped back, giving Riven enough space to sigh in frustration again. He wondered why he'd sent Brandon and Helia to the job. He should've known that they'd only get themselves into a mess.

"Helia, shut up. I'm coming. Tell me, have you got her diary?"

"Yes. Just help us! Please…"

Snatching the phone from Helia, Brandon told Riven to hurry up and disconnected. Then he went over to his long haired friend, hoping to calm him down. They'd both had a tough time in the last few hours, especially with the girls turning up, but Helia seemed to be more annoyed and fearful than Brandon. His friend didn't understand why, but his best guess was that it was because Helia didn't want to be part of Riven's game in the first place.

"Helia, just chill."

As a response, Helia sent Brandon a deathly glare. That was the last thing he'd be able to do. He wanted to get out of the room and he wanted to do that now. Brandon backed away slowly and went to get Helia a glass of water. Helia accepted it and poured the liquid straight down his throat. The coldness of the water calmed his frazzled nerves and he eased a bit, sinking into Musa's mattress. Brandon returned to his seat on Stella's bed and the two of them sat face to face for a few minutes till Riven arrived outside with the rest of their friends.

"Guys?" Nabu called, knocking on the door.

In an instant, Helia perked up, jumping to his feet. He quickly sprinted to the door and stayed there, hugging it. Brandon's eyes were wide and he had an eyebrow raised as he leaned forward and witnessed Helia attached to the door. He paused for a moment before blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. After another moment, he hurried over to his door loving friend, grabbed his shirt and peeled him off the door. Once he let go, Helia embraced Brandon, causing Brandon to crinkle his eyebrows. "Errmm…"

"Brandon. They've come for us! We're saved! WE'RE SAVED!" Helia screamed looking at the ceiling. Shortly after his non character like outburst, he got off Brandon and started skipping around the room.

"Hello?" Riven asked, seeming to be confused because of the screaming sounding from the other side of the door.

Brandon was zonked out. He just froze and continued staring at Helia. It was the weirdest thing he'd seen his friend do. Heck, it was the strangest thing he'd seen anyone do! His left eye twitched as Helia cracked a grin. He skipped up and down the girls' room with high knees, and was now swinging his arms up and down with joy. His head was tilted backwards slightly as his grin became wider. Brandon speculated that his friend had lost the plot. If Riven hadn't banged his fists on the door, Brandon wouldn't have snapped out of his trance. He slowly ripped his gaze away from Helia and turned back to the door. "Dude, just get me out of here. Helia…Helia's…" Brandon trailed off.

Sky and Timmy exchanged glances at Brandon's slow said words. "What's happened to Helia? Is he out cold? Nabu asked. The four boys waited for a response but none came.

"I think they're both dead." Riven stated flatly, not in the least bit sounding concerned for his friends.

"Let's just get them out of there before someone suspects something." Sky nodded at Timmy, who pulled out Riven's key that he'd taken from the receptionist. He swiped it through the electronic lock and waited till the small light turned green. Then, he gripped the door handle and pushed the door open, only to have it blocked by Brandon's body. The boys furrowed their eyebrows as they squeezed through the small opening.

"What the hell?" Riven said before breaking out into a small laugh. He'd just seen Helia, who was still skipping around, looking merrier than before.

"You know what? I think he's high!" Sky exclaimed, forgetting that Brandon was on the floor behind them.

"We should get out of here. Someone grab Helia while I help Brandon." At Nabu's command, Sky and Riven both lunged at Helia, stopping him from moving and lifted him like paramedics out the door, which Timmy was kindly holding open. Nabu was waiting outside with Brandon, who was trying to get his hair back to normal. He had come out of his giving up state and was now somewhat alert.

"O-kay." Riven grunted as he dropped Helia's feet to the ground. His friend refused to stand up, so Sky had to drag him across the floor by holding onto his biceps. Brandon and Nabu followed Sky's lead out to the pool, while Timmy and Riven made sure the door was shut. After they were done, they also hurried off to their friends. Riven walked extra quickly over to Brandon's side and demanded for Musa's diary. "It's in Helia's pocket." With that, Riven dashed towards Sky who was still dragging Helia.

"Put him down for a second." Sky gently placed Helia's upper half on the ground and let Riven search his trouser pockets. Riven slid his hand in Helia's right pocket and rummaged around, but found nothing but a bit of fluff. He then went onto searching through Helia's left pocket. He shuffled closer to Helia still in a crouched position, and dug deeper into the pocket. Helia wriggled a little under Riven and sat up with a start after Riven had dug a little too deep into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Helia asked alarmed.

Riven backed away a little before standing up. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I wasn't touching you up." Riven smirked and then shoved Musa's diary in his jacket pocket.

Helia flushed at Riven's comment and scrambled to his feet. "Why would I be disappointed?" Helia spluttered, glancing at his friends with wide eyes.

All the boys but Nabu laughed and continued walking away. Nabu stayed to pat Helia on the shoulder. "It's okay."

"What's okay?" Helia asked Nabu who didn't look back to give him a reply. "If you guys think I'm- I'm not, you know! I'm not! Really! I'm not!" Helia shook his head a little as he shouted at his friends while chasing after them. The group of boys he was chasing just kept laughing.

Riven stuffed his hands in his pockets and shook his head. Helia definitely brought the joke of being gay on himself. He was always so defensive about it. But then again, if he didn't say anything to show that it didn't affect him, everyone would automatically assume that he wasn't ashamed of the fact. His defensiveness though, gave the boys something to laugh about. But they knew that Helia was straight, otherwise he wouldn't be hitting on Flora, a friend of Musa's who he'd met at the bonfire.

"What are you shaking your head at?" Sky asked as he tightened his bandana.

"Prissy pants back there." Riven smirked at the name he'd given Helia.

"Well, at least it snapped him of his psychotic state." Timmy sounded relieved. Helia's demeanour had freaked all his friends out, but Timmy especially since he was best friends with Helia and thought he knew every side to him.

"I _never _want to see it again." Brandon spoke with wide eyes.

"I'd rather go blind." Nabu's statement made the boys laugh again. Helia sent them all glares through his narrow eyes. He didn't know what they were laughing about, but his first assumption was that it was about him. He was right, but he didn't know that for sure.

Soon enough, the group of boys and Helia who'd managed to catch up, arrived at the swimming pool. There were a lot less people splashing around than the other day, creating a nice and peaceful atmosphere for the sun to shine down on.

"Drinks?" Brandon offered. He really felt like downing some booze to elevate himself.

"Naah. Let's head down to the beach. What do you guys say?" Nabu looked at his friends hopefully. He didn't feel like lounging around beside the pool. For him, it had gotten boring after the first time.

"No one's here so we might as well head over there." Riven agreed.

"Great. Then we can play some beach volley-ball. You know when you get that itch to play something? I have that with volley ball right now."

"No but it sounds good!" Sky looked at Nabu weirdly after his last comment. Nabu shrugged and then the two of them broke out into a jog towards the beach.

Riven stood, confused by Sky's rejection to getting booze. He soon passed it off as a stunt to make Bloom like him even more. He couldn't believe what Sky was doing to impress Bloom. First, the cheesy pick up lines, then carrying her plate to the breakfast table, then rejecting helping out with his plan just because he was afraid to come across uncaring to Bloom and now ditching alcohol? Riven just didn't get it. He assured himself that _he'd_ never turn into a lovesick man and do something stupid. He wouldn't let himself change for some girl.

"You coming?" Brandon asked, peering over his shoulder at Riven who was still grounded on his spot. Timmy and Helia, who were walking alongside Brandon, also turned around.

"Hmm?" Riven looked at his friends. "Yeah. I'm just going to grab a pack." He threw his arm over his shoulder, signalling that he was going to head over to the shop to buy what he wanted.

"Cool. We'll see you by the net." Brandon replied, before carrying on towards the stone path which weaved through the grass to the beach.

"Be ready, Riven. You're going to be thrashed." Helia warned before he turned on his heel and followed Brandon and Timmy.

"We'll see about that." Riven whispered under his breath. No one had ever beaten Riven at volley-ball. His strength in smashing the ball was so strong that no one could hit the ball back; it just flew past their hands or if they had fast enough reflexes, hurt their hands so much that they physically couldn't hit the ball back. Helia didn't have a chance against him. Riven was as good as a champion.

After about fifteen minutes, Riven sauntered back from the gift shop, which just happened to sell cigarettes and headed over to the beach. On his way down there, he opened up his pack, lit a cigarette with the free lighter that came with the cigarettes and sucked on the roll of paper, puffing out after taking in the smell. A content smirk adorned his lips after his first puff. He hadn't had a cigarette ever since he and his group of friends had arrived at the hotel, and they'd been there for a few days. His craving had been killing him. He'd have probably gone as mental as Helia if a cigarette hadn't been between his lips a few seconds ago. He relished the last of it before dropping it into the grass at the side of the path and crushing it. He took out another one and repeated the process until he felt the softness of the sand underneath his black flip flops. He buried his fifth cigarette into the sand and gazed over at the nets from underneath the shade of the palm tree he was standing under. They were deserted. He furrowed his brows, wondering where his friends could have gone.

Before he had the chance to curse them, a familiar voice called out his name. He shifted his gaze and saw a large group of people, and Musa waving to him. She scrambled to her feet and ran over to him with a stretched out arm. "Hey. Come on!" She tugged on his arm to get him to walk over to their friends. Riven didn't greet her, he was too zoned out because of her soft touch which was causing his arm to tingle. "Riven? Sit." Musa patted the space next to her. Riven plopped down and absent-mindedly grabbed a can of cola.

"What? No booze?" Brandon asked, almost laughing at his friend's sudden change.

"What are you talking about, Brandon? Riven never drinks!" Sky laughed, smacking Brandon's back to get him to join in. Brandon did but his laugh definitely sounded forced.

Riven rolled his eyes at their stupid joke. It was only when he saw Musa's surprised yet happy expression, when he realised that Sky was just carrying on with his plan. During Riven's session of invading Musa's private diary, he'd found out that she had a very decent taste, meaning that he couldn't be seen drinking, smoking, flirting or taking drugs in front of her, or his barely begun plan would crash and burn before he got a taste of fun. Riven smiled back at Musa. He knew that he owed Sky. Though it was bizarre how Sky could remember to stay on track whereas Riven, who was the mastermind behind the whole scheme, tended to forget what to do and what not to do when he was around Musa. He really needed to be more alert, or his silly mistakes would contribute to making the plan fail.

Riven cleared his throat after taking a sip of the can, and accosted his friends. "What happened to volley ball?"

"Who'd want to play volley ball after seeing these lovely ladies?" Timmy giggled with a blush after his statement. He wasn't usually the one who'd come out and say such things.

"You're sweet." Tecna gushed, hugging Timmy's arm which she was clinging onto, tighter. Her small compliment made Timmy flush once again and fix his glasses. Tecna just continued to look at him lovingly.

Riven's friends all agreed to Timmy's words and glanced over to their crushes, exchanging smiles. Riven winced slightly at the scene. His friends looked like lovesick dogs. Ignoring that fact, he returned his attention to Musa. "You look great." Riven said after eyeing her.

Musa scoffed. "You're just saying that 'cause I'm all stripped down and in a bikini."

"Wrong. If that was the case, I'd be calling you hot!"

This made Musa raise her eyebrows. She hadn't caught him out; he'd known exactly what to say. She liked that about Riven, he never struggled for words. Musa smiled at that and entwined her fingers in his. Riven look down at their entangled fingers, smirked and then continued looking off into the distance.

"I don't want to wait, Nabu. The nets are calling to me!"

"Fine. But Riven's on my team. No way am I playing against him."

The snippet of Layla and Nabu's conversation…or argument caught Riven's attention. As it did everyone else's, mainly because of Layla's droning.

"Why?" Musa asked.

"No one stands a chance against him, that's why." Brandon answered.

"Actually, I've beaten him before." Helia informed everyone with a proud expression.

"Yeah. That's when I was drun-" Riven cut himself off. "Er. Injured."

Helia raised an eyebrow at Riven's sudden save, seeming amused at Musa's suspiciously narrowed eyes. Nabu caught onto what Helia was staring at so decided to jump in. "Riven's broke my wrist during a game, sometime last year. That's how powerful his hits are." That was enough to get Musa's attention away from Riven's slip up, so Nabu breathed out in relief.

"Well, Musa's our champ. The two of them should totally play a match against each other." Bloom looked from Musa to Riven, hoping they'd agree.

"Alright." Musa agreed with a nod. "You're on."

"I'm not scared of you." Riven smirked at her. This was going to be an easy win for him.

"She might have not broken someone's wrist, but she sure broke my nail."

The girls rolled their eyes at Stella, while the boys agreed that Riven was going to win.

"You've got this, Riven." Timmy assured Riven.

"I know." Riven replied cockily.

"Don't be so over confident. It could ruin you." Musa winked before strutting over to the nets, followed by her swarm of friends who were indefinitely rooting for her as they walked over.

Riven took his position, and waited for Musa to take hers after she finished listening to her friends' pep talk. He almost shook his head in pity. Musa had no idea of who she was up against. Moreover, Riven wasn't one to let someone win just to make them feel good. He had a record to maintain.

"Ready." Musa gave him a nod. She held her hands up after wiggling her backside a little.

"That professional stance is not going to help." Riven readied the ball for the first hit.

"Didn't you hear my girls? I'm a champ." At that, there was an eruption of cheers from Musa's friends at the sideline.

"Okay. Let's see if you can receive this!" Riven flung the ball into the air and hit it with his other hand after a small jump. Once his feet landed in the sand, he watched the ball fly over the net.

"Ha!" Musa yelled as she hit the ball with ease. "No problem!" She smiled as the ball flew back over the net.

"That was one of my easy shots. I was testing you." Riven said while hitting the ball in such a way that it would spin.

Musa grunted softly as she tossed the ball back at Riven, giving him a second to be impressed. "I know your tricks."

"Oh?" Riven hit the ball back at her with some force. Then the game went on in silence, allowing the two of them to concentrate despite the distracting cheers from the sidelines, and try and win a point. Neither of them had scored one yet, they were playing a fast rally. Riven was starting to get frustrated. He was used to scoring a point within the first few throws but this wasn't the case with Musa. In a way in was good since he'd finally found a worthy opponent, but it also meant that he wasn't winning.

He used his frustration and anger to his advantage and hit the ball with an immense force. He grunted through his teeth once he settled on the ground.

Musa's eyes were focused on the ball as it came hurtling towards the sand to the left of her. She prepared herself to take a dive. She was not going to let him get ahead. Screaming a little, she leapt towards the ball with her hands outstretched.

The eyes of the onlookers widened as the ball bounced off Musa's hand, causing it to turn bright red. "Ah…" Musa squeezed her eyes shut as she sat up with the remainder of her strength. Wincing in the pain, she looked at her sore hand.

"I think she's hurt!" Layla gasped.

Riven didn't need to be told that. He was already ducking under the net in order to go to her.

"I'm fine!" Musa shouted through gritted teeth. Riven didn't stop but carried on jogging towards her, fully aware of the pain in her voice. He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hands, examining her reddened palms. He could clearly see the indents the volley ball had left behind on her skin. They made him feel guilty. "I said I'm fine." Musa tried snatching her hands away from him, but Riven pulled them back into his grip.

He kept silent and rubbed her palms with his thumbs. "You can't say they didn't warn you." Riven said quietly.

"Oh-" Musa's breath got caught in her throat. The reason being Riven, who had just planted a kiss on her hands. She stared at him, shocked that his lips were still in contact with her skin. Musa's cheeks coloured as Riven looked her in the eyes, his own gleaming with concern and guilt.

Flora giggled at the sight before her.

"Well, isn't that just adorable." Stella said, not really finding the sight to be so.

* * *

><p><strong>I hereby declare this to be my longest story despite the fact that it isn't finished. It's just my first with over 14 chapters! Yay me!<strong>

**There will be more action to come very soon. I'm not purposely trying to speed this story up, but it would be nice to end it in a few months, y'know? **

**Anyway, drop me a line or two. **


	16. Not sappy after all

**Chapter 16: Not sappy after all**

Musa and Riven clapped from the sidelines. Their friends had just ended a game against each other. They were going to play girls against guys, but to make it fair they'd mixed the teams up. The pair sitting at the sidelines hadn't been allowed to play because they were both too good, and Musa was injured, meaning that one team would have an extra player. Riven, being the fake gentleman he was, decided to sit out along with Musa to get rid of that problem and also show that he cared about her. He would never let himself believe it, but he was slightly concerned for her after seeing her bright red hand, which seemed to be bruising a little.

"Good game, Nabu." Layla smirked in victory as she put an arm around her brown haired love interest.

Nabu mumbled in defeat. He was positive that his team, which consisted of Sky, Tecna, Helia, and Stella, were going to win. But Layla's team consisting of the rest of their friends had ended up winning after grabbing three points to get ahead in the last two minutes. He didn't mind losing, but the problem was that he'd lost to Layla's posed challenge. Now, not only would he have to pay for their entire date but also admit that she was better at volley ball that he was – not that he would believe it for a second.

After everyone had collected their things to head to dinner, Layla gathered everyone around. "Nabu has an announcement to make."

Nabu stepped up with half hooded eyes, looking displeased but not in the mood to protest. The whole confession would now be one hundred times worse seeing as he now had to say it in front of all their friends. He sighed as everyone looked at him attentively. "I admit that Layla's better at volley ball than I am," Nabu grumbled while looking at the tiny particles of sand beneath him.

"Sorry. Didn't quite catch that?" Layla cupped her hand around her ear and leaned in towards her date for the evening. Nabu shot her a brief glare before straightening up to say it like a true man. "Don't forget the last part!"

"I hereby declare Layla to be better at volley ball than myself. She's also amazing, godly, beautiful, wondrous, divine and all the other words that I can't remember." Nabu gave everyone a nod once he'd finished. Some of his audience cheered whilst the others shook their heads while smiling.

"Not bad." Layla interlocked her arm with his as they started walking back to the hotel. Nabu wasn't very happy with her, but nevertheless flashed her a small smile.

"You know…I might have actually meant the latter sentence." Nabu told Layla as they climbed up some steps. Layla smiled at him with lit up eyes and went onto resting her head against his arm.

Musa, who was walking beside Riven behind Layla and Nabu, wore a grin on her face. She couldn't help but think that the couple in front of her were cute, and that inevitably caused her to smile. Riven turned his head in her direction and paused to admire her beam. He could say that it was a nice smile, or maybe even say that it made her more radiant.

"Don't expect me to pull out those kinds of lines this evening. I can't do things like that." Riven laughed a little and waited for her to respond.

"You impress me without them," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" Riven jerked his head in her direction. He'd been too lost in his thoughts about their fast approaching date to have been properly paying attention to her. It wasn't the best thing he could've done to win her over but he couldn't help it. Having a habit of wandering off wasn't easy to dodge.

"Um." Musa hesitated, deciding that she wasn't going to repeat what she'd actually said. She couldn't. It would be too embarrassing for her. "I said it's okay."

Silence followed their short conversation and hung in the air until they reached Musa's room, where they would part. Musa smiled at Riven and got a smirk in return, then disappeared into her room. The two of them weren't like the other pairs, who had hugged or were saying unnecessary farewells, regardless of the fact they were going to see each other in an hour or so for dinner. To Riven, those stupid things were not needed since he'd only known Musa for about a day. He wouldn't have minded pressing her body against his – it wasn't as if he felt uncomfortable with her.

While Riven was trying to get his mind off Musa; she was having a panic attack inside her room.

"Where is it?" Musa threw her arms up after going through all her shopping bags.

"I can't have disappeared. Look under the bed?" Stella suggested, going through her own shopping bags in case they'd misplaced Musa's dress.

Musa sighed at her suggestion. '_Why would it be under the bed?'_ she thought; but still checked under it just to make sure.

Stella seemed to be more nervous than Musa as she rushed around their fairly large room, hoping to spot the polka dotted dress lying around. She was nervous for her friend but also afraid that she would get less time to do Musa's hair and makeup. Stella would not want her friend to look less than perfect for her first date.

The two of them thoroughly searched the room for ten minutes till they decided to give up. At the same time, Musa and Stella fell back onto their beds and groaned. Musa shut her eyes and decided just to wear another dress. She'd bought a few of them the other day on her shopping trip. One of them was sure to be fine. Plus, she wasn't Stella who'd only settle for a specific dress.

"I'm going to pick another dress." Musa told Stella, who was staring at the ceiling, trying to think of a place where she hadn't checked.

When she heard Musa's words, she got up and shook her head immediately. "Oh no, you're not! We'll find it!" With that, she got up and began searching again. Only this time, she started looking in the most awkward places, where the dress would never be.

"It's fine, Stel, really." Musa hauled herself off her bed and yanked open her closet door.

"No, it's not. You can't just turn up in any old dress! It has to be chic and simple, like the one we're going to find. You can't turn up in something over the top for your first date. I mean, not only will you look desperate but…"

"Stel." Stella's nickname sounded from Musa's mouth.

"…you'll look stupid! Fashion can't be stupid. Besides, you don't even know what you're going to be doing. It could be dinner or sky-diving. So you need something that's functional but gorgeous for any occasion…" Stella rambled on whilst crawling out from under her bed. She furrowed her eyebrows a little after noticing that it smelt of men's cologne. It was also strangely familiar.

"Stella." Musa repeated her friend's name, but she still didn't get her attention.

"I had you're make up look and everything planned so that it complimented that dress. We can't just leave it! It took me ages to plan the look! How am I meant to do that for a new dress? Huh? It'd take me forever and-"

"Stella!"

"What?" Stella snapped, looking at Musa's with wide eyes and statically charged hair.

Musa motioned towards her closet with a sheepish laugh. "I-uh- found the dress."

Stella threw a pillow at Musa angrily.

Twenty minutes went by till Stella held up a mirror in front of Musa. The blue haired girl gasped lightly as she stared into the eyes of her reflection. A surprised and thankful smile painted her lips as she touched her now silky hair. "No touching! The hair spray is still drying!" Stella scolded her friend and slapped her hand away from her wavy hair. Stepping back, she couldn't help but wear a satisfied grin and sigh in happiness as she admired Musa's softly waved hair and subtle make up, which highlighted her best features, drawing your attention to her prominent cheek bones and mesmerising eyes. Proud would be an understatement of what Stella felt of her work.

"You rock, Stel!" Musa jumped up to embrace Stella in a friendly hug. Stella giggled as she returned the hug, still wearing her grin. The two girls stayed in the embrace, rocking each other from side to side as seconds flew by, allowing their smiles to grow. Musa was the one who broke the hug. She stepped back from her blonde friend, her head turned to the right, eyebrows furrowed at an object. Stella's face soon turned into one matching Musa's confused one. Following her friend's gaze, her caramel orbs landed on a glass. She remained puzzled at the liquid holder, hoping Musa would give her a reason for staring at it. None came so Stella shrugged and decided to get dressed, or she'd get shouted at for being late to dinner by her time conscious friends. Just as she turned around and held up the dress she'd chosen, Musa spoke up. "Did you have water before we left for the beach?"

Stella sighed at Musa, wondering why she cared about a stupid little glass so much. "Nope. Why does it matter?" Stella replied with a question; then sat down on her bed to take her sandals off.

"It's just strange. I'm sure it wasn't here in the morning." Musa hummed a little before adding, "I didn't even know we had glasses in the room."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Who cares? I don't think you want to be late to your date 'cause of some random glass." Without further ado, Stella pulled Musa's arm after checking the time and then led her towards the door. "Go make his jaw drop!"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you didn't check the closet!" Riven wore a smile whilst shaking his head at Musa's stupidity. She'd been telling him about her dress dilemma. He was glad that she had had something to talk about straight away since he had no idea of what to say after he'd greeted her. Talking about the missing dress had definitely eased them into a friendly conversation as they walked over to the beach under the starry sky.<p>

"I know! I thought I'd checked everywhere."

"Well, at least you found it." Riven stopped walking. "You look great." Musa smiled at him from her spot, a metre in front of him. As soon as her lips curved, he went over to her and gently took her hands in his. "Really, I mean it."

Musa's smile grew bigger as his sincerely spoken words entered her ears. She'd probably watched a thousand movies and read many books in which compliments were said to the girl, and thought all of them to be extremely sappy. But now she understood the warmth the characters felt when someone flattered them. His compliment wasn't sappy at all since _she_ was in the moment; it wasn't some random character. Musa was too lost in thought to thank him so ended up bowing her head when she cheeks reddened.

Riven smirked at the cute little things that he compelled her to do. They were strangely…attractive. What was he thinking? This was the way in which he'd wanted her to react. It was all part of the plan. Though, what he didn't see himself doing in the plan was stepping up and leaving a kiss on her cheek. After he stepped back from his action, he tried to reason with himself. He couldn't put his finger on what had encouraged him to kiss her.

Musa's reaction to the kiss was pretty unexpected. She giggled and then started walking ahead, leaving him to stare at her rear end which swayed from left to right. He'd soon had enough of gawking at her curvy body so scurried over to her, trying to make it seem as if he had been behind her all along. He scooped up her right hand and pulled her along, causing her to run a little to keep up with his fast past.

They arrived at the beach shortly and took a moment to gape at the calmness before them. The dark looking water looked like part of the night sky, making the area in front of the sand appear a void to their eyes. Even the uneven sand appeared dark under the presence of the blackness above it, all of which creating a perfect bed for their gazebo that stood in the middle of the beach. Supported by four, strong looking poles was a square roof made out of wood. The poles themselves had white curtains draped around them, the bottoms of them flying around due to the light coastal breeze. On the sand underneath the roof, rested a small table covered by a white tablecloth, two chairs and four ignited tiki torches, which helped illuminate the area along with the single candle in the middle of the table. Around the candle were a bunch of white and green plants and two silver plates, complete with a polished set of silverware at their sides.

Riven had the same delighted yet amazed visage as Musa. He couldn't believe that his friends had pulled something like this off in such a short space of time, and she couldn't believe that Riven had organised all of this and that too for _her_. Musa didn't know what to say. She'd only ever dreamt of going on such a romantic date but today, here before her was the most beautiful setting for dinner she'd ever seen. She simply ogled at the sight. It was beautiful. There wasn't another adjective that described the scene better. After blinking away her tears which had pooled in her eyes because of the view, she quickly turned to her date. "Riven…" she breathed in happiness, "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"No need to thank me." Riven spoke softly, still in disbelief of the reality of the gazebo which had turned out better than he'd hoped. He gestured her to go forward, and then followed, smirking at the fact that he'd impressed Musa. Along with the guys, some of the credit went to her for writing in detail about what she thought to be romantic and nice for a perfect date.

There was another round of thanks from Musa once they'd sat down; Riven had of course helped Musa into her chair. Then out of nowhere a butler, carrying a tray of authentic Breconese dishes appeared, served them the food and left after pouring them a glass of champagne, which the two said cheers to. The dinner went on as expected. There were laughs, flowing conversation and also a small complaint from Musa for feeling underdressed. Riven had taken off his grey waist coat and unbutton a few buttons of his shirt to make himself look more casual in response to Musa's frown. He didn't want to see her unhappy. He only wanted smiles from her on their first date.

When they'd finished their main meal, Riven signalled for their dessert of vanilla panacotta drenched in raspberry coulis. After it came, he moved closer to Musa and seized the opportunity to feed her the first piece. Within a few minutes, only a pool of the pink sauce was left on the plate. If either of the two said that the meal was delicious then it'd be a huge understatement. Sky had begged, and paid a hefty amount to the top chefs of the hotel to prepare the food, so it was definitely going to be better than delicious.

Standing up, Riven stretched out his hand for Musa to take.

"Where are we going?" Musa asked as Riven led her away from the gazebo.

"You'll see," was the reply. A man of mystery, she figured, liking the sound of that. She liked that in a man, and Riven knew that. Though, he didn't need to fake it, he was naturally mysterious even if he did say so himself.

* * *

><p>"So- uh- how're we meant to do this?" Brandon asked through gritted teeth as he continued smiling straight ahead. He and his friends were walking down to the girls, who were waiting outside their rooms, all of them looking elegant in their evening dresses.<p>

"By we, you mean, you. _I'm_ not doing anything." Helia retorted with minimal lip movement as he made his smile wider for Flora, who was discreetly waving at him. Overdramatically, the earlier experience of being the girls' room had been traumatizing. He was not going to take the risk of putting the diary back. Riven hadn't assigned him specifically, he had told Brandon to do the job, and that was enough of an excuse to back out.

Brandon went wide eyed at the reply but returned to normal since the girls were watching them as they walked over. It was truly a movie moment, with the five boys, walking side by side, taking haughty steps with smirks on their lips. The thought of it, made Brandon think about something other than the diary which was hidden in his pocket. His smirk grew at that.

The boys reached the girls before Brandon had a chance to confer further with Helia. Everyone greeted each other and the girls told them about how they were excited about the evening. Brandon wished he could say the same. This was meant to be a good evening for him; he was going to be drinking, laughing and dancing with the group, but more importantly, Stella. She had caught his eye the moment he'd seen her. Her striking beauty, golden hair, plump lips and glowing skin had left him consumed in her thought day in and day out. He wanted to have fun with her, at the dinner _and _hopefully, after dinner in his room.

Slowly he returned to reality after imagining her without clothes and realised that conversation about her had risen and was taking place.

"Being fashionably late is only her excuse for just, well, being late." Tecna reasoned, looking at the boys who seemed to agree.

"Maybe we should just leave her?"

"Yeah. That'll teach her a lesson!" Bloom high fived Layla for her suggestion.

"Girls! We're her friend's, we can't do that." Flora glared at her friends for making such a fuss. Stella was only a few minutes late, it was nothing to get angry about, or so she thought.

"Take a joke, Flo." Layla shook her head at Flora's lack of humor, and then went onto eyeing Nabu all over and giving him a wink of approval for his outfit choice.

During the girls' joking around, an idea had formed in Brandon's head. It would be risky but he wanted to get the diary away from himself as soon as possible in order to enjoy the night.

He interjected the complaining session, "Why don't I go get her?"

The girls looked at Bloom, who looked back at them and nodded. "Go ahead."

Brandon slipped away from the group and walked a few metres down the corridor to Stella's room. He knocked and waited patiently outside, hoping she wasn't about to come out since he needed to be inside to return the diary. A pang of uneasiness rushed through him as the door clicked open. He heard Stella murmur things angrily as he stepped inside. She didn't sound very pleased about being interrupted in the middle of getting _dressed_. Brandon gulped. He stared as he beheld Stella, bending towards her bed to put her lace top on. At the sight of her light pink bra, her name tumbled out of his mouth.

Stella froze.

She obviously hadn't realised that it wasn't one of her friends. She spun around, with the bottom hem of her top at her forehead and her arms through its sleeves, causing her breasts to stare at Brandon through the thin material that was supporting them. Since her arms were stuck in her sleeves, she had nothing to quickly cover her chest with, allowing Brandon to stare hungrily at her bust. "Brandon…" she acknowledged with her lips quivering as she turned around to avoid further embarrassment, and struggled to pull her top on.

Brandon tried hard to stop the film of his fantasy from playing in his mind, but it was proving to be more difficult than expected, especially when he saw Stella's buttocks which were exposed freely since she was wearing a thong. From where it rested on her hip, he could make out that it matched her bra. Just as he was starting to enjoy looking at her backside, she twirled around in search of her jeans which were on Musa's bed. During her spin, he's caught a glimpse of the small piece of material in the middle of her hips. He clenched his jaw. Swallowing hard, he willed himself not to become erotic. After that, he shut his eyes and turned his head to the side.

Stella had hurriedly gathered her stuff and shoved it into her white handbag and was now standing, looking at Brandon. The noise that he was hearing had ceased, so he dared to open his eyes and found Stella gazing at him with a blush that ended at the roots of her hair. Once she blinked, she charged past him. "You didn't see a thing," she hissed into his ear and then hurried out the door.

Brandon gave himself a moment to become steady before glancing over his shoulder to make sure that she was gone. He then fished Musa's diary out of his pocked, crept over to her bedside drawer and left it in there, sighing in relief as he retreated.

* * *

><p>Musa screamed in joy. "Go faster!"<p>

Rising up, she held her breath as she fastened her hands around Riven's neck. As soon as she felt comfortable in her new position, she raised her arm and screamed with excitement filled in her voice.

Riven, who was sitting in front of her on the Jet Ski, wore a smirk. He was glad that she was enjoying this. He increased the speed a little, letting her put her other arm in the air and yell in delight once more. He'd come to love the sound of her voice during the course of their date, whether it be actual words or screams.

Musa felt free. She'd never been jet skiing before, but it was now definitely on her list of things to do again. It was a thrilling experience, though fearful all the same. But she loved the way that the wind wafted her hair around, she loved how she could throw her arms up like she had not a single care in the world; but most of all, she loved the way that the Jet Ski bobbed up and down on every wave, tearing through the water and making her feel like she was being carried by the wind. It was an amazing feeling. One she did not want to let go of.

Much to Musa's dismay, Riven headed back to the dock. He'd taken a big risk taking the Jet Ski for a ride, and he couldn't risk riding on it for a second longer. If the rightful owner was to see him, he'd lose a lot of money, which he couldn't afford to lose since he had to keep taking Musa out. He shut the engine down and reached over to the rope that had been tired around the handle of the Jet Ski before Riven had 'borrowed' it. He replicated the knot so that the owner wouldn't be suspicious, dismounted the Jet Ski and then helped Musa off. Then he started walking down the dock with his arm around Musa's waist. They headed back to the gazebo, which wasn't faring too well since the wind had picked up, had some wine whilst chatting and then proceeded towards the hotel.

Their pace slowed as they neared Musa's room. "Thank you for tonight. It was amazing."

Riven looked down at Musa at her sincerely spoken words. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he returned with a smirk and then let go of her waist. He too had enjoyed it. Spending time with Musa and getting to know her better had been worthwhile. Riven had found her to be interesting and funny, and undoubtedly beautiful when she laughed or gave him her attention. Her eyes would shimmer when she would look at him, holding strong affection. He liked the fact that she liked him, but at the same time, also felt guilty.

"Nothing could top it." Musa's smile stayed sound as she continued to look Riven in the eye, shyly fumbling with her fingers.

Without hesitation, Riven grabbed her hands, breaking her fidgeting pattern, and quickly placed them on his shoulders. He then grabbed her hips and pulled her close, not once losing eye contact with Musa's navy eyes. They seemed shocked but still glimmered with wanting.

Riven's lips brushed against hers, before he pulled her closer. Their lips connected perfectly, like two puzzle pieces, which had finally been put together to allow completion.

Musa inhaled a sharp breath as Riven deepened the kiss. She was tingling all over, sparks raced down her spine and her head decided to make itself go light headed. The kiss ended before she could say it felt surreal. When Musa opened her eyes, she didn't find Riven standing before her. He was already half way down the corridor, wearing a content smirk.

She could've made herself believe that it was a dream, but the reality of her swollen lips prevented her from doing so. It had been real, and she had loved all five seconds of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Longest chapter so far! <strong>

**Be happy I was quick updating this time! On the side note, school has restarted so updating will become slow, but I promise that I'll work on chapters when I get time so it won't take months before I publish! **

**Also, for anyone who hasn't already, could you guys give my poll a vote to help me with a decision. Majority wins, so you could make a difference! Thanks :)**


	17. Run!

**Chapter 17: Run!**

Stella groggily propped herself up on her elbow, annoyed about her sleep being interrupted by a loud bleeping noise. She rubbed her eye with her free hand and proceeded with awakening Musa, who was the owner of the bleeping device which didn't sound like it was going to stop anytime in the near future. "Musa! Shut that stupid phone of yours off!"

From Musa's bed, all Stella got in response was some loud snoring. Musa slept like a rock. It was strange since she had amazing hearing. After Stella's screaming, the blue haired girl turned over with a small smile on her lips. At first, Stella reckoned that Musa was awake and was trying not to laugh at her angry tone; but then realised that she was lost in a dream after posing a threat about reading her diary. Stella pouted in irritation. She was going to grab her friend's phone and see what the bleeping was all about, but resorted to chucking one of her many pillows at Musa's face. After all, it was early in the morning and Stella was too lazy to get up to go get the phone. In a heartbeat, Musa was up with sleep laden eyelids. She sat up in shock and tried to spot her sleep snatching culprit who was no-one other than Stella. As the blue haired girl's gaze fell upon her blonde friend, a scowl emerged on her face. Stella glared in response, knowing very well that the bags underneath Musa's eyes would require an ample amount of concealer to face the day. Before Musa had a chance to yell at the blonde, her phone sounded again after its three second rest, breaking out in increased volume thanks to Musa's settings. She winced at tinkling sound of the tone and understood why Stella had thrown the pillow at her.

Now guiltily smiling at the blonde, she felt around the table's surface and picked up her phone. Looking at her screen through half hooded eyes was like looking into the sun. Squinting, Musa jabbed her thumb at her screen and then scanned over the words in the text message. Excitement and warmth fluttered through her body as a smile found its place on her lips. By the time Stella had raised an eyebrow at her friend, she found Musa's eyes to be fully open and her fingers to be dancing across the screen. Going back to sleep wasn't an option since she was now fully awake, so Stella decided to poke her noise in Musa's business, as usual.

"What does it say?"

Musa glanced at Stella from the corner of her eye and then returned to composing her reply. "Nothing."

"Yeah…'cause you're writing a reply to a blank message." Stella pouted and then wrestled the sheets off her legs in order to stand up.

"It's none-"

"Don't make me attack you!" Stella interjected, knowing very well what Musa was going to say. She'd heard the statement a thousand times. Not that she paid any mind to it.

Musa sighed in defeat. Cutting to the chase would work to her advantage and would satisfy Stella's nosiness, so she decided to just spit it out. "It's from Riven," she started. The look on Stella's face was enough to make Musa continue. "He wants me to meet him at the beach, right now. That's all it says."

"Ooohhh!" Stella wiggled her eyebrows and plopped down on Musa's bed, ready to give out some fashion advice.

The two knew each other very well, so there were no questions or protests, and the dressing advice began tumbling out of Stella's mouth. Musa was not bored, nor was she annoyed when her friend finally finished. She simply nodded in return and went to go fish out the clothing that Stella had suggested to wear.

Upon return, she was clothed in a black button-up blouse, hot pink shorts and strappy magenta heels, which made her look four inches taller. To compliment the look, her hair had been pulled into a scrunched up bun at the back of her head. Stella had been hell-bent on having Musa show off her cheekbones, hence the bun; it was because she wanted Riven to be able to see her friend's face properly. The blonde stuck her thumbs up at Musa's goofy pose, and went up to stick a pair of gold studs into Musa's ears.

* * *

><p>"Compliment her, hold her hand and make conversation," Helia told Riven as he pushed him along.<p>

"About what?" Riven snapped as he quickened his small steps due to Helia's pushing. "What if conversation doesn't flow as well as yesterday?"

Helia halted and sighed. "Stop being unreasonable. You'll be fine."

"If I'm not fine, then the failure of my plan will be blamed on you."

Helia rolled his eyes in response. He was starting to get even more worried about Musa's feelings, especially after finding out about her thoughts from her latest diary entry that she'd written after the date. Since the group, excluding Musa and Riven, had returned later that night, they'd been asked by Riven to look at Musa's diary. There had been complaints but Timmy soon came up with an idea, and went inside Musa's room, pretending to be examining the air conditioning system to see if it was the same as his. Fortunately, Musa had been outside in the corridor, talking to the boys, so it had been an easy task and Timmy reported on the diary's contents once the boys had filed into Riven's hotel room.

"I'll be happy if this plan of yours fails," Helia admitted as he opened the door for Riven.

Riven flashed Helia a disapproving look before he shut the door. He turned back instantly, and started knocking. On the other side, Helia stopped midway in his walk back to his bed. He rushed back to the door and pulled it open. "Pass me her bag? The one with the lingerie in it." Riven was met with a pair of anger filled eyes.

"Why don't _you_ get it yourself, and let _me _sleep?" Helia turned on his heel and went to tuck himself under the white duvet.

Riven relinquished, and went to fetch the bag himself. He found it under his bed, where it'd been ever since he'd found the diary. Along with it, a white bag with gold charms also rested. It was Musa's. Riven slowly pulled it out, remembering that he'd found it outside her room when she was inside with Andy. He decided to return that to her as well, only because he wasn't angry at her after knowing that there was nothing between her and Andy. He walked out of the room, slamming the door shut to annoy Helia with the sound. As he was walking down the corridor, he began feeling awkward and glanced down at the two girly bags he was clutching. Just at that moment, a pair of girls walked past him, giggling and pointing like two immature kids. Riven turned away, refusing to let himself redden and tried to cover up the bags with his hands to try to make them less obvious.

* * *

><p>There was a knock. Then a shout.<p>

Stella glowered before releasing her hair from the curling iron she was holding. She grumbled a string of words under her breath and swung open the door, only to lay her eyes on someone she didn't recognize; though she had to admit that he was pretty good looking. "Can I help you?"

Jake stared at Stella's confusing expression and couldn't help but notice her beautiful eyes. He fancied her, it wasn't hard to tell. But Jake wasn't here for her, even though he could easily change his story and ask her out. He was here for Musa, and he liked Musa that little bit more than the blonde before him. "I'm looking for Musa," he replied, craning his neck to look into the room.

"Well, sorry. She isn't here." Stella stopped just as she was about to tell the stranger where her friend was. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh." Jake met Stella's gaze and broke into a smile. "I'm Jake. Bass player for the Mistaken."

Stella went blank for a few seconds but soon replied. "Stella. Musa's friend."

"I'm surprised you don't know who I am? Didn't Musa tell you about me and her and how we got together after the concert?"

Stella narrowed at eyes at Jake's casual demeanour. She didn't know whether to believe him. If she did, that would mean that Musa was a cheater, considering she was also with Riven. "No…" Stella trailed off, wondering what to say next. She did not want to expose her friend, but nor did she want to keep the truth from someone who didn't deserve to be lied to.

"Well, can you tell me where she is?"

Jake's tone was impatient and rough, causing Stella to feel alarmed. She virtually felt threatened. Not wanting to risk more harsh interrogation, she quickly responded. "At the beach." Almost immediately, she gasped, bring her fingers to her lips.

Jake's left eye narrowed at her behaviour and he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Something was up with Musa and Stella was hiding it, he sensed that, so he dashed towards the beach. At his sudden departure, Stella rushed back into the room and dug around for her mobile.

* * *

><p>Riven dropped the two bags he was holding into the sand. The sound alerted the blue haired girl that was standing with her back to him. Before she could turn around, Riven grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a brutal kiss. Musa melted into it. It was sure one way of starting the day. Soon enough, Riven broke apart with a smirk. He brushed his fingertips down her arm and swung her hand slightly once it was in his. "You look stunning." He smiled at her.<p>

Musa bobbed happily in response to his compliment. "So, what made you wake me up so early?"

"I just wanted to see you. And I thought it would be a good time to rectify the walk we had before."

Musa nodded once and then linked arms with Riven. Just as she was about to take her first step, Riven withdrew his arm. She turned to him with furrowed brows; they soon became raised as she saw her bags. "How do you have those?"

"I found it in the taxi I arrived in."

"So you and your friends were the jerks who stole that taxi from us?"

"Uh…yeah." Riven scratched his neck. "Anyway, I realised it was yours after finding a gold journal and realising you had a matching notebook."

That made sense. Musa extended her arm and grabbed her two bags, blushing after realising that Riven must have looked through her lingerie. Now that was embarrassing!

Without further ado, they started on their walk. They wandered across the sand, talking a little about their friends and a lot about the many coincidences they'd encountered. All the while, Musa hung onto Riven's arm, mostly because she her heels were sinking into the sand. She cursed the stupid shoes and Stella for making her wear them.

"Why don't you just take them off?" Riven suggested after noticing Musa's plight. She'd had on annoying shoes both times they'd walked on the beach. Musa stopped and took off her heels, holding them in her hand as they walked along.

All of a sudden, something vibrated. Both Riven and his girlfriend noticed. He gestured for Musa to pull out her phone; she did so and pressed it to her ear. The second Stella's hyper voice filled her ear, Musa's peaceful morning shattered.

"Why didn't you tell me about Jake? And about how you two hooked up?"

Musa was thrown off. She didn't understand where this was coming from. "What? We didn't hook up!" Musa exclaimed, forgetting that Riven was right beside her.

"Yeah? He came to our room this morning, asking about you."

"Huh? How the hell did he- never mind. What did you tell him?"

There was a pause at the other end of Musa's line once she'd posed the question. "I…um, told him you were at the beach…" Stella answered hesitantly.

"Oh, my god! You have got to be kidding me!"

"What happened?" Riven inquired, slightly worried, slightly curious.

"Sorry! I just…I guess…" Stella was cut off as another voice shouted Musa's name from the background. "Musa, who is it?"

Biting her lip, Musa turned around, spotting the person she hoped it wasn't. "It's Jake. Gotta run!"

"What's he doing here? Didn't he get the hint?" Riven asked after looking at Jake's seething expression. He was storming up to the pair with his fists clenched by his sides.

Musa sighed in Jake's direction, contemplating on what to do. "Run!" she exclaimed, deciding to put some fun into the situation.

Riven furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if he'd heard her correctly. "What?"

Musa had already started jogging down the beach, her bags bouncing on her arm as she did so. "Come on. Run!" She laughed a little and became faster. Riven shook his head a little, glanced back at Jake and decided to follow Musa's instructions.

The couple's feet pounded the sand as they headed further up the beach. Riven, who was now ahead of Musa, looked back and saw her smiling face. Even though they were in a risky situation since Jake was gaining on them, she still appeared to be filled with excitement. He liked that about her; the fact that she didn't care too much. He stretched out his hand for her to grab, allowing her to quicken her step with his help. Musa laughed as the breeze she was creating wafted her bangs around her face. She felt as if she was in a movie, running along the beach with her lover. It felt freeing. They were getting away from Jake, the supposed threat that was to tear them apart, and were escaping into their own world. Her smile at that thought caused Riven to smile. She was beautiful when she beamed; his eyes shimmered at the sight of her face.

"Musa, stop!" Jake called with his arm in the air. He was still angrily charging through the sand towards the running couple. "What are you doing!"

Musa rolled her eyes at his shout. She began running faster, noticing they were reaching a dead end since only the huge stage and cliffs were in front of them. Jake growled because she didn't stop. He then broke out into a run, quickly catching up to them.

Riven slowed as they neared the stage. He stopped once he and Musa reached the far right of it, next to the speakers. In sync, the couple gazed at Jake who was running towards them, covering ground hastily.

"Someone stop them!" Jake yelled, anger evident in his voice. You'd have thought that his cry would not be heard, but a man with a bulging belly peeked out from door leading backstage. He held a piece of paper between his fingers and thumb and glanced at Jake, recognizing him, and then at Musa and Riven. His eyes glanced from the magenta haired guy back to his paper twice before he looked down at the steps beneath him and made his way down.

"You there, don't move!" the man, a security guard in a blue shirt yelled as he tried his best to run towards Riven.

Musa hurled her bags and shoes onto the stage and climbed up it, jerking her head as a sign for Riven to follow. He made it just in the nick of time, preventing the guard from grabbing his ankle.

"Stop at once!" the guard huffed upon seeing the pair run through the curtains at the back of the stage.

Jake soon arrived behind the man and scowled at his incompetence. "You let her get away!"

"I was after the boy," the guard explained, showing Jake the photo of Riven taking a guitar from a closet backstage. Jake smirked, and then told the guard to come at them from the right while he went to the left.

Backstage, the couple were panting slightly as they raced through the corridors that were all too familiar to Riven.

"Musa, hold on a second." Riven tugged on Musa's arm causing her to crash into his chest. He held onto her waist as he rest his chin on her shoulder to get his breath back.

"Come on. They'll catch us!" Musa squirmed in his grip.

"Let them."

"Riven?" Musa turned around to face him. "Jake will kill you and that guard won't be far behind in that. Why did he look like he was after you?"

Before Riven had a chance to take a guess, both of them heard heavy footsteps coming from around a corner. They exchanged glances and proceeded with the run. They were headed in the opposite direction to the footsteps but had to halt once again when they heard more footsteps from their new direction. Musa bit down on her bottom lip and gulped. While her face transformed into one of panic, Riven had located a place where they could hide.

Before it seemed as if both the owners of the footsteps had come into view, Riven lunged into the closet behind him. He quickly shut the door and pressed himself up against Musa on the wall. Musa puffed, shutting her eyes at Riven's action. She could feel the hot air from his nostrils brush against her forehead, and could feel the heat radiating off his body to hers. Her hearing was sharper since her eyes were closed, causing her to detect his loudly beating heart against her own chest that was barely able to rise due to the weight of his body. Their proximity was scarily soothing. It was enough to make her breathe calmly, knowing that he was protecting her in a way.

Even though the closet was quite narrow, there was enough space for Riven to stand a few centimetres away from her. But he liked his stance. He liked being close to Musa. Though, it was somewhat arousing with her body almost glued to his own, allowing him to feel her breasts squashed into his chest. On feeling her pounding heart, he realised that she was also feeling the same way. He looked down, meeting with her part illuminated face. He witnessed her yearning eyes and pulled her closer, jamming the lower halves of their bodies together. He softly moaned due to their closeness, and then brought his lips towards hers. He caught a glimpse her rosy ones reach out towards his before he shut his eyes.

Their lips had barely touched each other's when the door opened.

"I want him arrested!" Jake growled, trying to dismiss the fact that the two were about to kiss.

Musa and Riven glanced to their right at the same time. Musa's eyes broadened in shock whilst Riven's face turned into one of pure hatred.

The blue shirted guard soon lumbered up to the couple, and brutally attached shackles to one of Riven's wrists.

* * *

><p><strong>Huge thank you for all the reviews so far, no matter how small or large they were, they were much appreciated! <strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And yes, this time I did stick to the thing with publishing a chappy every fortnight. Though, school is killing me right now so I don't know about the next update. But I can't stay away too long!**

**Um, I have a little question: Do you guys want this story to speed up or carry on with the way it's playing out? **


	18. Reconciliation

**Chapter 18: Reconciliation**

Musa sighed, running a hand through her hair. She stood in the local police station, impatiently waiting for Riven to come out from one of the many interview rooms. The place was boiling and there was only one electric fan, though it was half broken, on the head officer's desk. Glancing at clock, Musa realised that it was a couple of hours till noon. Riven had been in the interview room for quite a while, probably fighting with Jake, she assumed. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't barge in and start rowing with Jake, even though it was his fault that they were there.

She had been perching on the edge of a grey chair, hands over her forehead, when Riven finally showed up being pushed by the same policeman who had arrested him. It was only when she heard Riven insult Jake that she realised he was finally out of the interview. She hurriedly got to her feet and embraced him. He was happy to find her waiting for him, but his face still possessed a post growl expression.

"What did they say?"

"They're going to lock me up for two nights because I refused to pay the fine," Riven grumbled into Musa's ear.

"He also gets a criminal record," the officer added.

Musa's eyes widened and a frown fell upon her lips. Before she could say anything, two officers began leading Riven to a large cell, where a lot of unshaven and dirty people sat. She started towards the exit, hoping to get Riven's friends to help, but stopped once she saw Jake standing with a content expression next to a tall cabinet. She pulled him outside the police station after storming up to him.

"I can't believe you!"

"Musa," Jake said gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "He stole a guitar, and went backstage without permission. He deserves to be behind bars."

Musa whacked his arm away, and then continued. "Then so do I! I went backstage as well."

"I know. But I got you out of it, after bribing the officer who arrested that idiot. You should be thanking me!"

Musa shook her head with narrowed eyes. "Firstly, I have nothing to thank you for, and secondly, Riven is not an idiot, he's my boyfriend."

Jake smirked slyly, almost as if he knew she was going to say those exact words. "Na-uh-uh," he shook his index finger, "It's not wise to say that in front of me. Before you know it, I could send you on a ship back to where you came from. And before you ask how, let me remind you that it was _my _band you interviewed. One bad word to your radio company and you're gone."

Musa swallowed back her rage. The hate she held for Jake multiplied. Unable to say anything back, she looked angrily at the ground beside her.

"Tell you what," Jake waited for her to look up, "I'll get him out of there, but you have to spend the rest of this day and the rest of night with me. How does that sound?"

Musa growled silently, thinking that the suggestion sounded horrible, but of course, she couldn't say that or she'd be on the next ship home. "Fine. But it's only for today."

Jake smiled. "I'll just get him out and meet you poolside." With that, Musa took off back to the hotel, unhappy but relieved.

She burst through her room door and found Stella pulling up a pair of white skinny jeans. "Oh? Back so soon?"

"Don't even ask," Musa shook her head slightly before looking through her wardrobe for a more comfortable and less revealing choice of clothing. "Why have you got on that skimpy bra, Stel?"

Stella giggled, not in the least bit embarrassed about standing before Musa with only a thin bit of lace hiding her bust. "Well…at breakfast, Brandon invited me to his room. So, I'm just getting ready for the fact we're going to be alone…" The blonde trailed off, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Oh-uh! No! Too much information!" Musa shut her eyes, scrunching up her face. After some more giggling from Stella, Musa proceeded to ask for help in choosing a new outfit. As expected, Stella asked why so Musa gave in and explained what had happened during the previous hours of that day. Only then did Stella start rummaging through Musa's wardrobe to pick out a non-exposing outfit.

* * *

><p>"Who paid the bail?"<p>

The officer behind the desk looked up from a file with a raised brow. "That's for only me to know." He closed the file and tucked it at the bottom of the pile to his right.

"Give me that!" Riven stretched out aggressively.

The officer got to his feet and held him back. "Do you want to be back in there?"

Without saying another word, Riven stomped out of the police station and made for the hotel. This had been a bad beginning of the day, but he was hoping to spend the rest of it with Musa. He had somewhere really fun to take her. Though, to his dismay, when he arrived by the pool, he saw Jake approach Musa and wrap an arm around her. Before he could lash out, he saw Jake caress her cheek and give her a kiss.

Musa's eyelids trembled as she stood in Jake's arms with closed eyes. She hated him for doing this, but she could not protest, not when everything she needed was at stake. She had to withstand it all, especially the kiss he planted at the side of her mouth, not quite her lips. Though, she knew that that was going to be coming soon. Riven watched silently from afar as Jake led Musa to the far end of the coast, the opposite side of the stage. A pang of jealousy rushed through him. He knew this was unreasonable, but it made him angry nevertheless.

In a blink of an eye, he was walking towards his room. All off his friends, excluding Brandon, were sitting on his and Helia's bed. He walked in on them talking about their plans for the afternoon. Andy was also with them. The bruises he had, had faded quite a bit from when Riven last saw him.

"Riven, come join us." Nabu gestured over to the space next to him.

"We're going to hit the waves in half an hour, interested?"

"Sure," Riven agreed and then made himself comfortable next to Nabu. Through the resumed conversation, Andy and Riven made eye contact, exchanging glares in the process. Riven felt like his day couldn't get any worse. Abruptly, he asked, "Guys, where's Brandon?"

"In his room with Stella," Timmy replied, jutting his thumb out at the wall.

"The blonde?"

"Yeah. If you listen closely, you can hear…the sound of their activities." Sky smirked noticing the look on Riven's face.

"I'd rather keep my stomach acid inside myself, thanks."

"Sure." Sky laughed.

"Thought you'd be happy about Brandon scoring?" Helia furrowed his eyebrows and eyed his friend.

"That, I am. The blonde's the best after Clara," Riven stated in a matter of fact manner.

"Dude, Clara was Brandon's first girlfriend." Nabu looked confused.

"Exactly."

The boys finally understood what Riven meant, and joined their friend in sniggering. Even Andy joined in.

"Why don't we surf now? I think I'm going to be sick if I listen to Brandon's moans a second longer."

"You can hear them?" Helia questioned.

Timmy went red, causing Riven to smirk. "Ha. He's listening!"

"No I'm not!" Timmy protested. His friends though were too busy laughing as they filed out of the room to their own respective ones.

Helia and Riven, who had been the quickest in collecting their belongings after kicking Timmy out, waited outside their room. Suddenly, a loud scream sounded from the room next to them. It was a woman's voice, Stella's in fact, and both the boys knew that. They exchanged looks, before Riven said, "I don't want to know."

"Did you hear that?" Sky exclaimed as he led the group of boys to Helia and Riven.

"Yes. But let's ignore that and go surf." Helia walked down the corridor calmly, paying no mind to the loud grunts and moans sounding from behind them.

"Already ahead of you, bro! Alright!" Nabu cheered as he broke into a light jog along with Andy. The rest of the boys walked behind them slowly, wearing matching expressions of alarm and uneasiness.

* * *

><p>"Nice, isn't it?"<p>

"That's one word for it," Musa mumbled, carefully stepping on the jagged rocks further into the cave.

"Come one. Am I that bad?" Jake stopped and put his hands on his hips. Musa turned to him with a hard expression.

"Do you really want a truthful answer?"

"Musa, listen to me." Jake pulled Musa near him. "Guys like Riven are jerks, he can't give you anything. I only did what I did and said what I said because….because I really like you," he finished quickly.

Musa carried on staring at his chest. She had no idea of what to say to that. She couldn't even pass it off as being fake, because Jake sounded genuinely sincere.

"Ever since that day when you sang with me, you're all that's been on my mind." Jake scratched his neck, proving to be genuine as it was clear that saying this was hard for him. "I really like you. I couldn't stand you being with that jerk. I know that I don't deserve you but I thought I'd have a chance. The stuff I did just to get you alone right now, was stupid, I know that. But this is how crazy I've become because of you."

Steadying her breath, Musa slowly met his gaze. "Jake-"

"Please don't say anything. I know what you're going to say. You have Riven, right?" Musa witnessed the hurt in Jake's eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry for what I did. You don't have to spend the day with me. I just wanted you to hear that."

Jake carefully hopped across the jagged rocks on the base of the cave towards its mouth. Musa watched till he disappeared. Slowly, she sank to her feet and sat, hugging her knees. That had been a lot to take in. It made her feel bad for breaking Jake's heart without even saying anything.

Meanwhile she sat in thought; the boys were riding the giant waves near to the cave that Musa was in. They were having one hell of a time. Timmy came out to be the best surfer out of all of them, and was receiving admiring looks by the female onlookers at the shore. Sky ran up to him with his surfboard tucked under his arm. "Wow, dude. You should wear contacts more often. Looks at all the ladies here!"

Timmy laughed, not used to all the attention, but decided to go with a flow and started to talk to a group of girls all clad in bikinis. He wasn't flirting. After all, Tecna was the only one for him. Though sadly, she wasn't present since she had gone to the theme park with her friends, minus Stella and Musa.

Half an hour had passed and Musa was still day dreaming inside the cave. She got shaken out of her thoughts once a wave lapped at her toes. "Oh-" She never finished the sentence. Her eyes were too preoccupied fearing the huge waves that were beginning to enter the cave. The place was soon going to be engulfed by them and she had no way to get out. Water was covering all the jagged rocks making it impossible to see them, meaning that it was too dangerous to step or swim over them. She was stuck. Whimpering, she stepped back a little.

Back at the beach, the guys were drinking coconut milk by the bar. Nabu sighed after taking a massive slurp out of the straw. "This is the life!" he announced and leaned against the bar hut.

"Dude, I hear you!" Sky agreed, raising his furry coconut in the air.

Andy dumped his coconut into the bin and then zipped up his wetsuit. "I'm heading back for one last wave."

"Cool. See you later then. We're going to pick up the girls."

Andy waved to them as he strolled into the water. Once he was deep enough, he got on top of his board and started swimming further out to sea. The waves were great, perfect for a few tricks. With that hope in mind, he bounced up onto the board once a large wave went under him, and started riding it back to shore. It was only after a few seconds that he realised that the wind was taking him in the westerly direction, towards the rocks at the end of the beach. He approached them quickly and calmly turned his board in the other direction, just before he could crash.

"Anyone? Help! Help me, please!"

A sound of a woman's cry got his attention just before he was about to swim back to shore. He turned his head and began scanning the vast area of water, but found no one bobbing in it.

"Help! Help!" This time the screams were louder, and he had a fair idea of where they were coming from as they were being echoed. He carefully paddled between the rocks and into the cave, where he saw a very frightened girl, clutching onto the wall.

"Don't worry! I'm coming to get you!" Andy called and hurriedly started swimming towards the girl with his board underneath him. He was thrown off course a few times due to the rocks beneath his board, but didn't give up till he reached the girl.

He sat up on his board and stretched his arm out. Both Andy and Musa froze when the realised who was in front of them. Andy let go of the fact very quickly, and urged Musa towards his hand, but she was still too shocked and kept staring. Time was running out, so Andy yelled for her to hurry. It was just before the waves could grab Musa that she jumped into Andy's arms. He pulled her trembling body close and pushed off the cave wall.

"It's okay," he cooed as she sobbed. He bent over a little with her underneath him and paddled with his hands. A few minutes later, they reached shallow water and got off the surf board.

A pair of life guards with perfect abs rushed up to them and started checking up on Musa. Andy shook his head and let the water droplets fall into the sand. After that, he didn't bother waiting to see if Musa was okay, and headed towards the hotel. Musa saw him leaving from the corner of her eye. She diverted her gaze to the golden sand, promising herself to thank him later.

* * *

><p>Stella dialed Musa's number and pressed her mobile to her ear. Once she heard the bleeping tone, she held the device in place by her shoulder and began picking out an outfit for dinner. The girls had just got back from the theme park, after being surprised by the boys' arrival, and had just gotten into their rooms. Tecna had instructed the group to change quickly so that they could go out for their evening meal. Stella was annoyed, since she was tired and wanted nothing more than to have dinner in the comfort of her own bed. Though, she wasn't complaining since flaunting a new outfit was her thing.<p>

"What's up?" Musa asked, knowing very well that it was Stella who had called.

"Darling, where were you?"

"Uhhh. Trapped in a cave, almost losing my life."

"What?"

"I'll explain in a second."

"Huh?" Stella furrowed her eyebrows at Musa, who had just disconnected.

At that moment, the door clicked open and Musa walked in, looking wet. Stella had turned around at the noise and now her eyes were splayed.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Musa sighed and plopped down on her bed. "Basically, I met Riven this morning for our date," she blushed at that statement, "And then Jake shows up and we kind of run to the stage, get caught and end up at the police station." Stella's eyes kept growing at Musa's explanation. "Riven gets put behind bars, thanks to Jake who got him arrested in the first place, and then after he gives me a condition, he pays the bail. Then, this is my condition, I have to spend time with him and he ends up telling me that he likes me while we're in a cave. So he leaves after that and I sit there, processing everything. The next thing I know, the cave is filling up with water!"

"Oh, my god!"

"You haven't heard the best part!" Musa paused before continuing. "Andy shows up after hearing my cries and practically saves me!"

Stella let out a gasp. "Then what?"

"Well, we safely get to land. I get checked upon by some hot lifeguards, and now I'm here!" Musa huffed once she'd finished.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Stella went up and wrapped Musa in a hug. When she pulled back, she wore a smirk on her lips. "That's three boys in one day, Musa! You lucky thing!"

Musa blushed at her friend's comment and lightly shoved her. In a few seconds, she too was adorned with a smirk. "So Stella, was Brandon good?" Musa wiggled her eyebrows as she asked her question in a mischievous manner.

Stella looked like she was going to explode from the amount of embarrassment she was facing. Her cheeks had coloured furiously and her head was bowed. Musa watched as her friend fumbled with her fingers and shifted slightly. She laughed heartedly, getting smacked by a cushion between breaths.

"Stop…" Musa panted with a smirk on her face. "Stop!" she yelled once more but Stella's hits kept coming. "You know what? I think I have my answer!"

"Musa!" Stella gushed, blushing once more.

"Stella, stop! I think I'm going to pass out!" Musa drew in large breaths whilst stifling backs laughs. Stella stopped her attacking and sat with crossed legs and arms. "Awwh!" Musa mirrored Stella's pout and shook her friend's chin from side to side.

"Hey, girls! What's going on?" Brandon asked, looking worriedly at Stella.

"Oh, nothing!" Musa waved the situation off and sashayed up to Brandon. "We were just talking about you!"

"Me?" Brandon looked from Musa to Stella with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yup. How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Someone had left the door open. And Tecna had sent me to tell Stella to hurry up, so I decided to walk in. I didn't know you were-"

"It's okay," Musa put a hand on Brandon's shoulder. "You've already seen Stella in all her glory."

Stella's eyed widened upon hearing those words. She quickly grabbed a pillow and lobed it at Musa's head. It missed Musa, but nevertheless gave her a reason to hurry out of the room.

A moment of silence passed. Brandon then went over to his girlfriend and sat beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Stella muttered grumpily.

Musa scurried down the corridor to Andy's room. She was too busy giggling that she didn't notice Riven strolling towards her. "Hey." He stopped in front of her, seeming to give her a little fright.

"Riven?"

"Who else do I look like?" He smiled and presented Musa with a bouquet of orange roses. Her mouth opened at the sight of the flowers but soon turned into a huge smile.

"They're beautiful!"

"Eh, they're alright. There are more beautiful things in the world."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like the girl standing in front of me. Her elegance, beauty, nor perfection matches that of the roses. She outshines them. Transcending everything and everyone; sending one's heart to heaven."

Tears glistened in Musa's navy eyes at Riven's slow delivery. Nothing was more beautiful than those words. "Th-those lines. They're from my favourite film."

Riven smirked, happy to have done some diary reading as soon as his friends had left for the girls. "Well, then, would you like to accompany me in watching that film in my room?" Riven positioned his arm out, pretending to be the gentleman in film.

Musa was just about to accept but reality came rushing back to her. "I'm sorry. I can't. I have to go to the festival for the radio company." She glanced at her watch and realised she was late. She thrust the bouquet into Riven's chest, gave him a quick kiss and continued to Andy's room.

A sinking feeling passed over Riven. He had never felt it before. He wanted so badly to stop her and convince her not to leave, but he had no choice. Her job was her priority. He was just playing a game, right? He gazed at her as she waited outside a room and then went inside after greeting Andy. Andy. A wave of fury replaced his earlier feeling. Had she really chosen Andy over him? Deciding to stay no longer, he stormed back to his room after throwing the roses onto the floor.

Inside Andy's room, Musa fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She hadn't said a word to Andy ever since the day of the incident. The present air around them was so awkward compared to what she was used to. Andy hesitantly sat down in his armchair and waited for her to say something.

"I…um…came to say thank you, for saving my ass. So, thank you, I guess."

On the inside, Andy smiled, happy to hear the real Musa. The usual way in which she used to speak, her nervousness and slight humor was all evident in her words. He hadn't lost her. He hadn't lost his best friend.

He rose from his armchair and wrapped her in an embrace. Just like anyone, she was taken aback but soon hugged Andy back. She had missed him; more than she thought missing someone was possible. Tears escaped her eyes as he repeatedly apologised in whispers. She returned his apologies with her own. They both stood still with shining tears on their cheeks. They stood for a good couple of minutes, just happy to have each other back.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading chapter eighteen! Comments are welcome. And so are questions. If you have <em>any <em>just ask away, helping you understand the story would be my pleasure. Any at all!**

***I want to apologise in advance if the next chapter comes late! It's just that I have exams real soon and am studying.***


	19. Dangling in midair

**Chapter 19: Dangling in midair**

"Musa. Hold on!"

Musa turned her head and saw Andy kneeling down with his camera. She furrowed her eyebrows and beckoned him to explain.

"I want a shot of you and the stage. This is _the_ perfect spot. Just move a bit to the left," Andy instructed and focused his lenses. He was glad that their fight, if it even qualified as one, had ended before the second night of the festival. Working together when everything was awkward would've ruined the whole project.

"Okay…" Musa jumped to the side and smiled widely. She too was glad that everything had resolved. Now it felt like the old times. It was almost as if nothing had happened between them.

Andy soon signalled and three consecutive shots were taken. He jumped up from the sand and went over to Musa to show her the pictures. In them you could see Musa clearly in the front, and the raging crowd looked fantastic in the background. By the time Andy was done scrolling through the camera, Musa looked impressed.

"When did you turn into such a photographer?" She nudged him and then made for the concert with her friend following.

The two of them walked through the sand in silence till they arrived. After taking in the atmosphere, they headed backstage, not too disappointed about not getting to see the performances. They had a different job to do that night, and that was to report on everything that happened backstage. When they walked through the doors, they were instantly pushed into a corner. Musa exchanged frightful looks with Andy as she witnessed the chaos. Five well known bands were on the line up, and of course, all wanted attention. So makeup artists and directors were rushing around trying to get everything sorted. Then on top of that, dancers were getting annoyed with their half finished looks and mangers were getting fed up of the noise. And if things couldn't get any worse, some of the costumes had been torn and people's body parts had strains; those things only seemed to add to the complaining and havoc. Though despite all of that, the man who owned the festival sat on a maroon couch, calmly sipping coffee, looking oblivious. Musa's eyes grew wide when she spotted him.

"Look," Musa pointed towards the bearded man. "That's Mr. Dayley, the jerk who owns this place."

Andy rolled his eyes at Musa's harsh judgement. "Let's go meet him."

"I have a better idea." She smiled and a devious look crept onto her face. Andy just looked at her with a confused look, already not seeming too fond of the idea.

* * *

><p>Riven fixed his watch as he entered the restaurant. A waiter came up to him and asked about who he was meeting. He was just about to reply, and could even see his friends laughing together, but didn't finish.<p>

"Uh. Forget it."

The ocean glistened under the moons soft white glow. The orb of the night towered over the water, illuminating a widening path from the horizon to the sand. The calm waves lapped onto the beach and fled as quickly as they came. They came one after the other, leaving their gentle sound in the air. Riven stood with his hands in his pockets as he watched them. The sight of the ocean was peaceful but that's not the reason he was staring at it. The colour of the water in the dark reminded him for Musa's eyes. Just like the light present over the water, her eyes would glisten when he looked into them. He bit his lip at the thought of her and shut his eyes. Inside, he felt so strange. To pin point the feeling exactly wasn't possible. There were flutters of everything, but all he knew was that he didn't feel good. He just wanted her in his arms.

Suddenly, the door clicked and his eyes flickered open. His flame of hope was doused when he saw Helia wobble into the room. He averted his eyes to the floor, telling himself that fate wouldn't be good to him since he was playing with her. After taking his sweaty hands out of his pocket, he strode over to his friend, who was obviously drunk.

"You and drinking, really?"

"Shut up, man. I-" Helia hiccupped.

"You were pressurized by the guys?"

"Actually…I took some shots so I could talk to…Flora."

Riven's eyebrow arched at this. He was not expecting that from Helia.

"I invited her over later. So…um…you need to leave."

A smile emerged on Riven's face upon hearing the deal. Never in a million years would he have expected his best friend to make such a bold move. Helia was much too moral.

"And don't come back until tomorrow."

"No, I'm going to watch you grope her." Riven rolled his eyes.

"Save your sarcasm for someone who-" Before Helia could finish, a nauseous feeling washed over him and he dashed towards the bathroom.

Riven took a second to gather himself before heading out. He didn't know where to go, so decided to just wander around till finding a suitable place to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Beautiful," Andy remarked after a pause. He turned to a grinning Musa, who was walking with a lopsided head.<p>

She brushed the compliment off but continued smiling. "I think the woman who sang it sounded beautiful."

"Yeah. But you sound it too."

After a several minutes of walking, they arrived by the pool. The little lights inside it were turned on, making it look all the more inviting.

"Andy…?" Musa turned to him with a smile on her face. "Why don't we jump in, right now?"

Her black haired friend looked at her uneasily. "I have to go actually. I'm seeing someone."

Musa's curved lips fell and parted slightly. "What?"

"Yeah. I'm going on a date."

"Oh." Musa swallowed. She didn't want him to leave. But she remembered that she had no right to stop him. She didn't have a good enough reason either.

"Okay. So I'll catch you later." Andy gave her a small smile before heading off.

Something in Musa became very uneasy as she saw him leaving. "Andy, wait!"

He stopped slowly and turned around only to be met with an unhappy expression. "What's wrong?"

Musa looked to the side. She herself didn't know what she was doing. Andy was asking himself the same question she was asking herself. Did she somewhere have feelings for him?

Her pink lips parted but she couldn't say anything.

"Musa?" Andy stepped closer to her.

She swallowed again, this time trembling. She didn't like what was taking over her. Her willpower was failing her. But she found it acceptable. Her eyelids trembled once they covered her eyes. Knowing that she was going to regret this, she lunged forwards. Her hands were placed on his shoulders; their lips were only inches apart. Reality soon caught up to her and she felt ashamed. Luckily she'd stopped herself just in time; she couldn't let herself be misleading again so she awkwardly hugged him. Then she practically threw him away from herself before running into the hotel.

There was no explanation for her actions.

During her run down the corridor her feet collided with something soft. "Roses," Musa whispered when she looked down on the bouquet. They were the same roses that Riven had gotten her. A couple of tears escaped her eyes at the thought of him. It was clear that he was angry; otherwise the bouquet wouldn't have been on the floor. Musa sighed as she wiped her moist cheeks. She needed to find him and make it up to him.

Upon arriving outside his room, all she heard were moans of Helia's name. There was no doubt that Flora was in there. Musa felt sickened at the noises. One wince and she was off, hurrying towards the lobby. She muttered something inaudible as she walked with haste. Then all of a sudden, she bumped into a hard object and had landed on her backside within milliseconds. A huff sounded before she looked up, only to see a hand stretched out. She placed hers in it without bothering to see who it was.

"Don't I get a thank you?"

She met Riven's gaze with parted lips, which soon curved upwards. "Yes. So thank you," she smiled. Her expression soon fell and she looked at him sincerely. "Look, I can explain about the Andy thing. I just went into his room to get him to come to the concert, I swear. And I'm sorry about hurrying off. Seeing the film now sounds great, but Helia and Flora seem to be occupying the room."

Riven smiled down at her, and all was forgotten. "I should've gotten a separate room. And everything else, just forget it." He rubbed his thumb on her jaw line before proceeding. "I know something else that we can do."

* * *

><p>"Oh, wow," Musa breathed as she looked down on the ocean. Riven held her waist firmly as they watched the waves compete with each other to the shore. The two were standing on a tall platform situated at the far end of the coast. Everything within a miles diameter could be seen.<p>

"You have to admit that I have a good choice of date venues."

"Hmm. It's not _that _impressive."

"I think I forgot to mention that we're going to bungee jump, huh?"

"What?"

Musa remained shocked as Riven safely strapped them up. She was thankful that Riven was going to be with her during the fall, or she'd have started freaking out. Riven positioned them near the edge and rubbed her upper arms.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"By that do you mean the ropes? Then yes. You trust me, right?"

Musa turned her neck a little to look at him. "Yes. But you're so dead if we- Ahhhhh!" Riven clasped Musa's mouth shut before her screams could echo out anymore. She squirmed in his grip but soon became relaxed as she soared through the air.

It was like everything was in slow motion and she was a bird, zooming through the sky. She witnessed everything around her with a new perspective and it was mind blowing. The tall building in the centre of town disappeared as they plummeted further towards the sand and the sound of the sea grew louder. The voices of the night rushed past her ears and merged as one. But the one that was heard clearly was Riven's. He'd whispered that he loved her, and even though it was an awkward time to say it, it still sent shivers racing down her spine. Musa's eyes then shut softly and she experienced the wind hitting her body as she fell further towards the beach.

Upon opening her eyes, she realised that she was flying upwards and then suddenly, she was plummeting downwards. When the rope bounced up again, a strange feeling settled in her stomach and it grew as the rope kept throwing them up into the air till it stopped.

"That was amazing!" Musa turned her body so that she was pressed against Riven's.

"Well, then now can you say that I have the best choice in dates?"

Musa flashed a huge smile before agreeing. Then not a word was spoken as the two reached for each other's lips and had a make out session metres off the ground.

"Let's do it again?"

Riven looked at the land beneath him and cursed himself mentally. "Yeah. There just seems to be a small problem. We're-uh-stuck."

Musa's eyes widened as she looked up and realised that there was no-one to get them back up to the platform. Then she looked down and realised the ground was quite a while away, so jumping down was out of the question. "Great. No really, it's fantastic."

"Guess I should've thought about this."

"Now what? There's no one here to help us; and by morning, we're going to be killed by the owner for using the ropes without permission! Well thought out date, Riven."

"It's not that bad. It has a nice view, at least." Musa glared at him in return.

The wind blew fiercely and the two of them rocked side to side by the rope. Musa closed her eyes as she held onto Riven, who was frantically trying to think of a way to get them down.

"Muse, please tell me you have your phone?"

"Yeah…Oh, we're saved!" Musa quickly rummaged around in her pocket for her phone.

"Careful! Don't drop it!" Riven tried to help her get it out. It was hard since they were practically glued together due to the harness and rope.

"Riven, leave it. I've got it!"

"No, 'cause you'll-"

"Shit!" Musa cursed as the phone slipped through her grip and flew through the air. Riven's eyes turned into saucers as he dove towards the device. Musa covered her eyes and turned away. "Please tell me you caught it?"

"Only just." The two sighed in relief together. "Now the question is, who should we call?"

"Everyone must be doing stuff. Who's going to be in their rooms?"

"Helia is."

"I think Helia's a bit busy to be answering his phone."

"Well, the rest of the guys are on dates so their phones are probably on silent, and so are the girls' I'm assuming."

"I know! Andy. Let me call him." Musa grabbed her phone and dialled his number.

"Are you sure? Isn't he doing something?" Riven asked, confused about her eagerness for calling her friend.

"No…no. I'm sure he'll be happy to help."

At the restaurant, Andy had just got off the phone to Musa. He looked over at his date and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I have to go. It's an emergency." She didn't look too pleased as he dashed out of the room.

He stopped once outside the hotel and realised that it would take a while to get there if he went by foot. The only other method of transport was a motorbike, which obviously wasn't his. He prayed that he owner wouldn't kill him and quickly drove off.

"How long did he say he would take?" Riven asked impatiently.

Musa rolled her eyes. "He'll be here soon. Now shut up." With that, she proceeding with kissing her boyfriend, knowing that they wouldn't get another chance up in mid-air.

* * *

><p>"Thanks," Musa said as she got off the motorbike as well as Riven's lap. It had been the only way to get them all to fit on the vehicle.<p>

"No problem. Now I better this bike back."

Riven watched as he drove off. "You owe him for this. Anyway, I'm kind of room less…"

Musa sighed and started dragging Riven to her room. "You can crash in mine. Stella's not coming back."

"Good," Riven murmured under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Riven smirked to himself and put his arm around Musa as she lead him to her empty room.

* * *

><p><strong>For any new readers, I got this chapter out before I rushed off to do exams. So apologies if it seems rushed or choppy.<strong>

**Since I'm back, I proof read it so I think it should be fine. Tell me my errors if not! **

**And thank you all for the favourites and for wishing me luck in my exams :)**


	20. Casino Party

**Chapter 20: Casino Party**

Musa rolled over to face Riven's bare chest and inhaled the scent of her perfume rubbed into his skin. She massaged her eyelid with her sweaty hand and yawned a little before laying her arm across her boyfriend. Riven let out a sleepy sigh, which only made the newly deflowered Musa smile up at him. Musa's smile grew as she watched Riven's eyelids flicker.

"Hey," Riven whispered gently and then proceeded with kissing Musa on her head.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." Riven grabbed Musa by her waist and pull her on top of him. She gave him a small kiss on his nose and then stroked his tangled hair. "You look beautiful."

"Yeah, right." Musa blushed, knowing very well that her make-up was more than ruined and that dry sweat clung onto her cheeks and forehead. She rolled off Riven's chiselled chest and sat up, giving Riven a full view of her naked back until her shirt covered it.

"You're getting dressed already?" he asked, rather disappointed.

"Yup. You better too, or we'll be late for breakfast and everyone will be suspicious."

Riven just rolled his eyes and pulled on his clothes. Once the two of them were fully clothed, he wrapped Musa in an embrace and kissed her mouth, lust evident in his lilac eyes from the night. Musa struggled for a while before giving in to him. Riven's hands crawled daringly under her top and he rubbed her waist, but he didn't lose their rhythm once. "Damn, I love you," he breathed quickly in between their kisses. Musa giggled at that and then pulled him closer as their kissing became more heated.

Neither of them had noticed, but the door to the room was being opened. "Wakey wakey, Musa! I'm back!"

Musa and Riven both gasped as their pulled apart. Stella had to have the worst timing ever. With wide eyes, Musa fixed her tousled sheets, covering up her blood stain in the process. Then she frantically fixed her hair and she signalled for Riven to hide. There were very few places in the room where he could go, so in the end, when Stella was only a fraction of a second away from stepping into the room, he ran into the bathroom. When Stella walked in, everything looked perfectly normal. You would've never known Riven had been in the room. Musa sat, pretending to strap her sandals up and greeted Stella when she walked further into the room.

"Ugh, it smells in here!" Stella complained as she opened the windows. "Honey, lay off the perfume would you? You're not meant to shower with it."

Musa smiled sheepishly in return, and heaved out a sign of relief when Stella wasn't looking. "So…where were you last night?"

"Oh. Me and Brandon went clubbing, then ended up staying there."

"Did you have fun?"

"Sure. But I totally wore the wrong heels. Now I have about three blisters on my toes." Stella frowned and then dug around her wardrobe in search of a dress. "We're still going to breakfast with everyone, right? They've all been so busy, I don't know if they'll remember? Ah…found it."

Musa carried on smiling, but it was turning into a nervous smile and as if things couldn't get any worse, her face started to heat up. When Stella turned around to show her friend her red dress, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Musa, are you okay?"

"Huh? Y-yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Musa smiled again and then squeezed her clasped hands tighter.

"Okay…" Stella trailed off with narrowed eyes. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. Won't be long."

Musa eyes splayed at her friend's statement. "No!" she blurted out. In that second, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks and Stella's suspicious stare didn't help the cause. Before the blonde had a chance to ask, words started to stumble out of Musa's mouth. "Uh-I…the bath! I filled a bath for myself, so you can't use the shower."

"What? Actually, forget it. I'll just get changed then. Give me a minute." With that, Stella sauntered over to the bathroom and locked the door.

Musa fell back on her bed and expected to hear a loud scream at any second. She had no doubt that Stella would see Riven crouched down somewhere. Though, no scream came and a good minute passed.

Inside the bathroom, Stella had just finished applying her make-up. She stepped back and admired herself in the mirror, smiling at her golden eyelids. Then, she stripped and placed her clothes on the side. Riven, who was hiding in the cupboard beneath the wash basin, had seen everything from the gaps between the panels of wood. It hadn't been too alarming, but just then, Stella unpinned her bra and a full view of her chest became available to him. He quickly shut his eyes; after all, he wasn't the same Riven as before. After a couple of minutes of humming, Stella stepped out in her red and yellow dress. She received a shock when she saw Musa standing right outside the bathroom door.

"What are you doing?" The blonde snapped and removed her hand from her chest. "Were you waiting to step into your non-existent bath?"

"What? Oh, I guess I must have forgotten to switch on the tap! How forgetful of me." She decided to laugh stupidly before rushing into the bathroom and shutting the door. Stella just raised her eyebrows and shook her head, settling on the fact that her friend was insane.

Back inside the bathroom, Musa stood with her hands on her hips. Riven was nowhere to be seen and the window hadn't even been touched. She didn't understand how Riven could've dodged such a big bullet like Stella. Once she was sure Stella had gone out of the room, she called Riven's name. All that was audible were some creeks and grunts. "Riven, where the hell are you?"

"Ow. Musa. Cupboard…Oww!"

Musa's eyebrows went from being crinkled to sitting high on her forehead once she opened the cupboard doors. "What the hell?" She quickly grabbed Riven's bicep and pulled him out.

Riven flexed a few times before he stood up straight and explained what had happened.

"If all else fails, just become a contortionist," Musa joked and led the way out of the bathroom.

"I'm in pain and you're laughing?"

Musa wiped the smile off her face and then gave Riven a kiss on his cheek. "Better?"

"What if I said my whole body hurts?" Musa just shook her head and then dragged Riven out of the room.

As they were walking down the corridor, it occurred to Musa that the cupboard had gaps and that Stella had changed in the bathroom. She quickly put two and two together and looked at Riven. You could almost see fire in her pupils. "Riven, were you by any chance watching Stella while she was getting changed?"

"Huh? No! I had my eyes shut the entire time. You believe me, right?"

"Hmm."

"Oh, come on!"

* * *

><p>"It's going to be totally awesome!" Stella squealed. Everyone on the breakfast table silently agreed with her.<p>

"What is?"

"Musa, Riven, you guys are just in time to hear about the party!"

"Well, go on blondie, elaborate."

"Well, there's this totally awesome casino down town and it's their big party event tonight. Timmy found out and he was wondering if we wanted to go. I said yes for everyone. You guys want to come, right?"

Musa looked at Riven and gave him a pleading look. "Fine. Count us in."

"So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"I was hoping to go see some of the main attractions of Breconize. There would be no point in coming all this way just to lie on the beach."

"I'm with Flora. We should definitely get some tourism into our trip." Helia looked hopefully at his friends, knowing how much they hated things like that. Meanwhile, the girls had exchanged glances and appeared more than happy to go.

"The girls and I are in!" Bloom declared. This caused a domino effect and one by one, all the boys agreed.

"Great. We'll meet outside the hotel in fifteen minutes. I'll arrange a taxi in that time."

"Tecna, wait. I have a better idea," Layla grinned and then rushed off.

Soon enough, everyone had gone to their respective rooms to gather their things.

"Darling, have you seen my sunscreen? I cannot have my skin peeling in front of Brandon."

"Catch." Musa threw the bottle in Stella's direction.

"Knock knock!" Flora said as she walked into the room.

"Flo! Okay, tell me what you think of this dress?" Stella gestured towards the dress she was holding.

"I like the one you're wearing better. Stella, when Tecna said to meet in fifteen minutes, I don't think she wanted you to change before."

Musa sniggered at Flora's comment, and ended up drawing attention to herself.

"Are you writing in your journal?" The brunette questioned.

"What does it looks like I'm doing?"

"You are too attached to that diary of yours. What do you write in it?" Flora asked while taking a seat next to Musa.

"Stuff that you guys don't know."

Flora and Stella looked at each other. "Like?" they both said in unison.

Musa shut her diary and put it among her things. "_Private_ things. Now let's go. I can already picture Tecna's angry face; and she's scary when she's angry."

* * *

><p>Upon stepping out of the hotel, quiet laughter could be heard among the girls excluding Stella. The blonde just looked like she was in disbelief. She blinked exaggeratedly before looking at her chocolate haired friend.<p>

"Good idea, right? I'm _sure_ you approve." Layla smirked a little and then gestured to their mode of transport as if she was selling something on an old fashion television programme.

"You're making us ride on _bikes? All _the way to _town?_"

"You bet," Layla assured her and then put her arm around Stella's shoulders in order to lead her to the tandem bikes. "Just think, your legs will be quite toned by the end of the ride." That thought hadn't even crossed Stella's mind, all she could think of was the pain she was going to be in and how sweaty she was going to be.

"Please tell me this is a joke?"

"I hate to tell you this Stella but it's not," Nabu told her, trying to suppress his laughter.

Stella huffed. "Right. Let me just grab my deodorant then."

The group laughed as Stella sprinted into the hotel. By the time she came back, everyone had paired off with their respective partners and were waiting to ride off. Brandon waved to her so she strode over with a displeased pout.

"Alright, let's go!" Layla cheered and began peddling.

"I hope you have good balance." Riven winked at Musa before starting off.

"Trust me, I do. I just hope you know how to ride a bike."

The couples were half way to their destination when Stella's complaining began. At two thirds of the way there, Riven was tired of it so came up with a plan to get away from the blonde.

"Hey, what if this was a race?"

"Oh, no. Please. My knees are sweating!" Stella panted as she struggled to keep peddling.

"You know what? A race would be pretty fun," Sky agreed, catching onto Riven's reason for turning the ride into one.

"Hate to break it to you, but Nabu and I are going to win!"

"Not if me and Helia beat you!" Flora sang and started peddling faster.

"Please, you'll be last because of Helia!" Riven laughed, raising himself to peddle faster.

"You're on!" Helia gave him a competitive look.

The girls cheered as everyone started zooming down the road. Behind the group were Brandon and Stella. Brandon was really trying but Stella was an extra weight.

"Stel, we're losing."

"I don't care! I never wanted to go on bikes anyway. You should be grateful I'm even here."

"That doesn't mean you have to be such a downer on the fun." Silence hung between them after Brandon's statement. It was clear that neither of them were happy with each other.

Around ten minutes later everyone arrived in a lush park. They locked their bikes on the stands and waited for Stella and Brandon, who weren't even visible.

"How long do you think they're going to be?" Timmy asked, staring at his watch. He was raring to take some good pictures, especially of himself and Tecna.

"Don't know. But I doubt they'll get here any time soon." Musa shrugged and then plopped down on a patch of grass. Everyone took the hint and sat with her.

Riven was just about to sit down but Sky pulled him back. "Why don't Riven and I go get some snacks while we wait?"

"Sounds good!" Nabu exclaimed. His mouth was already watering at the mention of food.

"We'll be right back." Riven nodded once at the group and then headed towards a small café.

The usual chatter and joke telling commenced once the two boys were gone. They were on their way back when Stella and Brandon were seen riding down the hill. Brandon was a little sweaty but overall fine, but Stella looked like a sweaty corpse. She was doubled over on the handles and her legs were barely peddling.

"Yeah, you made it!" Musa jogged over to them. She helped Stella off the bike but ended up carrying her to the group.

"I never want to do that again," Stella ground out through her teeth. After she was dumped on the grass, she propped herself up between Tecna and Bloom. Cupcakes and milkshakes were passed out between the group but Stella just sat there, refusing to eat a thing. She was tired and looked like a wreck. That was enough to ruin her day.

"The Affiel Tower is just around the block."

"All we need to do is walk down and take the first right," Timmy concluded. Shortly after, everyone began following Timmy and Tecna, who were confidently leading the way and holding hands.

The group gawked at the giant metal structure that towered over them. There were three platforms, one at the top, one at the middle and one relatively near to the ground. The structure was a rusty gold colour with flowers entwined in the metal poles. Everything about the historical attraction was wonderful apart from the long queue. The fascination in everyone's eyes vanished upon seeing the line of people.

"I never anticipated this many people." Flora bit her lip.

"It's okay. We'll get to the top," Helia reassured her.

"Yeah," Musa scoffed, "In five hours."

The group groaned. There was nothing they could do but wait. All of a sudden, Andy appeared clutching a bunch of tickets. Musa's eyes followed the tickets as Andy waved them about.

"For you." He handed her a stack of twelve tickets. "The girl I went out with yesterday works at the stand. She was more than happy to help."

Musa broke into a wide grin and jumped into Andy's embrace. "You're the best. I love you!" She pecked him on the cheek and hugged him again. "Guess that date had some benefit."

Riven stared at his girlfriend and Andy as they conversed. He hated the feeling that was taking over him. He'd never felt that way about anyone before. Helia soon came up to him and laughed. "Feeling jealous, are we?" That was it, jealously. That was the feeling that was consuming him. He didn't say anything to his friend but just continued watching. He didn't like the way Musa touched him, and he didn't like the way Andy kissed her, even if it was in a brotherly fashion. He was jealous. Though, he couldn't admit it because he wasn't supposed to be feeling that way. It was meant to be a game.

"They're just friends Riven. You won't need to kill him."

"Why don't we head off now?" Riven walked over to Musa to take her by the hand. She was his and he wanted to show the world that. They strolled over to the shorter queue where they were checking tickets and were on their way to the top in a big elevator in no time. Amidst the happy couples, Stella and Brandon stood on opposite sides of the elevator. They'd had a big argument on the way to the park and neither of them wanted to speak to the other anymore.

The elevator soon stopped and everybody stepped out, and were hit with a blast of cold air. They slowly moved towards the railing that overlooked the town. Some of the girls clung onto their boyfriends due to their newfound fear of heights. Layla was an obvious exception and ended up running towards the railing to get a good spot. She closed her eyes as another gush of air rushed past her. Then she looked down and inhaled sharply.

On the other side of the circle shaped railing, Riven held onto Musa from behind as they peered beyond the safety bar. The tower they stood on was much taller than the one they'd bungee jumped off of, and that made the experience more exhilarating.

"Everything looks so peaceful from up here." Musa smiled as she looked further up the town to the mountains. Riven just beamed and rest against Musa's head. After a few moments, he started to wonder what transfixed her since her eyes hadn't diverted their gaze.

"What are you looking at?"

"The mountains. It's strange that they're even in Breconize."

"I'll take you there someday."

Musa turned to him. "Promise?

"I _promise_ I'll take you there."

Timmy exchanged pleased looks with Tecna as they looked at the pictures they'd taken. There were a few funny ones of Tecna's overly fascinated faces when she was reading about the tower on the middle platform.

"I can't believe you took those!"

Timmy just smiled, knowing that he'd never delete them. He caught sight of Musa and Riven and went over to them. "Do you guys want a picture?"

"Why not?" The two stood together and on Timmy's count the picture was taken.

"Thanks, Timmy."

"No problem, Musa."

The blonde sat quietly on a bench with her hands rubbing her arms. She didn't know that the air was going to be so cold. She could feel her goose bumps worsen but realised that it wasn't because of the cold but due to someone's touch. She turned around slightly only to see Andy put his jacket around her.

"Thanks…but you didn't have to."

"It's fine. It's pretty warm up here anyway." The fact that his statement was untrue made Stella smile. "There it is."

"There what is?"

"Your beautiful smile. I noticed that you look a bit down."

"It's nothing." Andy raised his eyebrow, he wasn't blind. Eventually, Stella gave in. "It's Brandon. It's over between us. I really thought he was the perfect guy. He came along after such a long time and I thought he was worth the wait but…" Stella was cut off by her own blubbing. Tears rolled down her cheeks in their masses and she hugged herself tighter. By this time, Andy decided to step in and pulled her in for a much needed hug. She put her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

"Shh. He's not worthy of being cried over. You deserve so much better. You're beautiful, funny, charming and smart. It's his loss not yours."

Stella sniffled a bit and straightened herself. "I'm not smart."

"Yes you are. Who told you otherwise?"

Stella beamed as Andy wiped away her tears. It was nice to have him be there for her. It looked like they'd been friends forever but the truth was that they weren't even considered friends. As they peered into each other's eyes, all of Stella's previous feelings for Andy came rushing back. "Th-thanks."

"Glad I could help."

Stella eye's shimmered and she leaned up to kiss Andy on his cheek. "You're not doing anything tonight, are you?"

"I don't think so."

"Great. Then would you like to come with me to a party at a casino?"

"I'd love to."

Once everyone had drunken in the view _and _had let Timmy take their pictures, they headed to the tower restaurant for an early dinner. After that, they bought some party outfits and went straight to the casino at dusk.

The music from inside the building could be heard from the group's place in line and even the smell of many of the appetizers reached them. Sadly, this time Andy had no tricks up his sleeve to hurry the waiting process up so they were stuck waiting for around half an hour till they reached the guard. All he did was glance at the girls' tight and short outfits and opened the door wide open. It wasn't hard to get the girls confused with the waitresses in the casino. That fact bothered Riven much less than the fact that Musa would be ogled at. Much to his dismay, that's exactly what happened as they stepped through the doors.

The atmosphere in the casino was in perfect contrast with the one at the top of the tower. The crowd was raging on the dance floor and the mass of people jumped up and down as one body. Tables of casino games had a variety of different people crowding around them, all of which had a lot at stake. Coloured chips were selling like hot cakes but weren't being bought as frequently as the drinks at the bar. It was almost impossible to find someone without a drink in their hand. Waitresses in their bunny ears went around quickly serving drinks and various nibbles to people who were mingling and laughing. The entire room was just full of energy and excitement. It was also full of plump red sofas, coffee tables, game machines, and lights, just like the stereotypical casinos. The group parted and went to do different things. The boys, excluding Andy went over to the bar to loosen up while the girls, minus Stella, went to buy some chips.

The other two, headed over to a sofa to talk. After what had happened, both of them wanted to know more about each other. Andy grabbed two tall glasses of some blue cocktail on their way there and then sat down. Little did he know the drinks had been spiked. The pair said cheers to new beginnings and then proceeded with small talk about the place.

The girls had just finished stuffing their chips into their clutch bags and bras when the boys came over with drinks. Then everyone paired off to go play casino games. Flora and Helia decided to start softly with the game machines along with Bloom and Sky, who really just wanted to make out. Tecna and Timmy went to play Blackjack and turned out to be pretty good because of their probability calculations. Layla and Nabu had a shot at a card game but settled for dancing after losing badly. The last couple were at a secluded area near the back of the place where Musa was watching Riven win serious money at Poker. His face was naturally neutral, so he didn't even need to try. The game was drawing to an end, but a man with a cigar decided to throw in a twist. He put in eleven chips and then looked at Riven. "I'm putting that hot girl for bet as well. Whoever wins gets some _quality _time with her. How does that sound princess?"

Riven was taken aback so he decided to make his relation to her obvious to the table. "That hot girl there is my girlfriend. That means she's not in the deal." Musa swallowed nervously, hoping that the man would back off due to the new information.

"Does that mean you're not confident that you're winning?"

"What? Of course I am. She just has nothing to do with this. She's not what you think." Riven growled at the man across the table from him. He was clad in a leather suit and opaque sunglasses. Two women stood either side of him, just like body guards. It was obvious he was the king of the table, but Riven knew he was going to beat him.

He puffed out a ring of smoke. "If you're confident then it shouldn't even worry you."

Musa sent Riven a frightened glance which said it all. "No. She doesn't want to do it so she won't."

"Fine. Then prepare to lose everything."

"No." Riven stood up. "I quit." With that, he threw his cards onto the table and collected the chips he'd won.

"You can't walk away and take the money. Get him!" The man ordered but none of the actual guards moved. Riven's hostile glare was enough to stiffen their stance.

Musa walked alongside Riven in pure bewilderment. "You just lost all that money!"

"Yeah, but I didn't lose you. That's all that matters."

Even though Musa was flattered it was still confusing. "But you said you were going to win."

"There's never a guarantee in poker. I couldn't take a chance with you."

A small smile painted Musa's lips at realising how much Riven cared for her. "Thank you," she spoke softly.

"Come on. I'll teach you how play Roulette."

Back at the lounge area, Stella and Andy were drunk out of their minds and kissing like there would be no tomorrow. Stella moaned a little and then poured champagne over their heads. The two laughed and then pulled each other closer. Brandon huffed as he made his way away from the thirteenth woman who'd offered him a drink. During his walk over to the gambling machines, he spotted Stella who appeared to be underneath Andy. His eyes widened in anger as he stormed over.

"Get off her, jerk!" Brandon grabbed Andy's shirt collar and threw him off Stella. The blonde sat up with a dazed yet annoyed face.

"Brandon, leave Andy alone." She stumbled forwards. "Over. Us over…" she stuttered, and lost the ability to speak. Though, all she needed to do was gasp when Andy punched Brandon on his nose. A trickle of blood slid down his lip and upon tasting the red liquid, Brandon lunged forward and pushed Andy to the ground.

Onlookers started to gather and cheered them on. "Fight, fight, fight, fight!" they chanted and waited in anticipation. Soon enough, the group who were now at the bar realised a crowd had formed so decided to go see what it was all about. Much to their surprise, it was a brawl between their two friends. At once, the boys pushed their way through the crowd and broke up the fight, before security could even reach the gathering of people.

"Brandon, what the hell happened?" Riven asked him as he passed him a tissue for his bleeding nose.

"Andy was all over Stella and then he punched me!"

"That jerk threw me off her! The two of them broke up but he just can't accept that!" Andy shouted from where Helia and Sky were holding him. He gave Brandon one last hateful look as the medics took Brandon away to sort out his broken nose.

* * *

><p>"What a night!" Riven exclaimed as he finished his whisky. He sat with the boys at the bar, tired after partying and playing.<p>

"Yeah, man. I can't believe the girls still have in them to dance." Sky looked over at the girls who were swaying their hips on the dance floor and downing drinks at the same time.

"I think they're doing it to cheer Stella up." Timmy and Helia agreed with Nabu. Brandon hadn't come back after being escorted to the hospital so the guys placed their bets on that he'd gone back to the hotel.

The boys' usual banter crept in and they were busy in that for half an hour. The majority of the girls had stopped dancing while the others were debating on whether or not to send Stella off with Andy, who'd kindly asked permission to take her out. In the end, Stella made the decision for them and left the casino clinging onto Andy's arm.

"Hey hottie, would you like participate in our karaoke?"

Riven furrowed his eyebrows at the waitress who held out a microphone to him. He didn't understand what she saw in him that made him seem like he could sing. "I'm good, thanks."

The waitress shrugged. "If you change your mind, just come and join." She hurried off, leaving the microphone on the bar table.

"Whatever." Riven rolled his eyes and went back to talking to his friends.

"She wanted you to sing?" Helia held back his laughter.

"Dude, I don't think there could be a worse singer than you." Sky smirked.

"I agree. When he used to sing in the shower, I genuinely believed a cat was being strangled."

"Helia, when the hell did I sing in the shower? And since when were you in my house to listen?" Riven narrowed his eyes at his long haired friend.

"Whatever man. I bet Musa wouldn't want to see you anymore if she heard you!" Nabu exclaimed and then sniggered along with the rest of the guys.

"Why would I care anyway?" Riven slammed his hand onto the bar table and caused the microphone to roll closer to him. "I don't actually love her, nor am I scared of losing her. It's just a game. You guys remember I'm just putting on a façade, right? Or are you so stupid that-" Riven stopped himself from speaking any further when he realised the entire party had gasped and the people around him were staring at him as if he'd just killed someone.

"Dude, I think the microphone was on," Sky murmured. He didn't have to explain any further because Riven realised that _everyone_ had heard what he'd just said.

That also meant that Musa had heard.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm back and damn it feels good. Hope you enjoyed your treat of a super long chapter. May I add, longest chapter in the story! I just want to thank you guys again for the favourites and for sticking with me. <strong>

**Also, the name of the tower was meant to be Affiel, not Eiffel just in case you think I'm incapable of spelling xD **


	21. Heartache

**Chapter 21: Heartache**

The room fell silent as Riven widened his eyes. There was only pure disbelief and shock on the faces of the onlookers. Musa's friends however had completely different expressions and those being of anger. The blown looks on their faces had been replaced a long time ago. The boys backed away from Riven, knowing that they girls would kill them after they'd finished with their magenta haired friend. For a moment, everyone's attention went to the door which had just opened to reveal a fuming Stella. She hadn't walked far with Andy, so had heard what Riven had said.

She marched over to Riven and flashed him a spiteful look before striking with her hand. Riven's cheek reddened as his head turned to the side. He knew he deserved that. He also knew he deserved so much worse.

"You asshole!" Stella screamed. She was hurt because her best friend would've been hurt. "You're such a jerk!" She kicked Riven on his shin. "How could you do such a thing? Did you get what you wanted? Are you happy now?" Tears leaked out from the side of Stella's gold eyes. "You will burn in hell! Was hurting her part of your plan? She never did anything to you! I bet you thought it'd be funny, right? Well, I hope you're laughing when I'm finished!"

Bloom and Tecna quickly pulled Stella away before she had a chance to spring onto Riven and beat him till he was black and blue.

"No! Get off me! Let me at him!"

"Stel, calm down." Bloom stroked Stella's hair and pulled her in for a hug. The blonde sobbed, imagining the pain her friend would be in. As a best friend, it was her duty to keep Musa away from bad guys and protect her. She'd done the opposite. And she would never be able to forgive herself for that.

Riven didn't know what to do or say. His eyes lowered to the ground in shame. That way he avoided the hateful glares that came from the rest of Musa's friends who were also struggling to restrain themselves.

"Girls, let's leave," Flora said firmly and turned around to the exit.

"Wait," Stella whispered and pulled away from Bloom. "Where's Musa?"

"Musa's here." Everyone turned to face the source of the voice. It was Andy, who had just come out of the women's restroom carrying a limp Musa in his arms. "She's drunk out of her mind. I found her lying on the ground. I don't think she heard anything."

Riven stood from his stool upon hearing the latter sentence. He had hope now; hope that could allow him to fix his mess. He started to walk over to Musa but Layla blocked his path.

"Stay away from her," she hissed and waited till her group of friends and Andy had exited the casino with Musa. Then she turned on her heel and made way for the exit.

"Layla, wait!" Nabu called and rushed over.

Layla turned around with a hurt expression. "No, I don't want to hear anything…You knew? _All_ of you knew?" She glanced at Riven's friends looking disgusted. "Forget those guys. I never expected this from you, Nabu. I can't believe you would let something like this go ahead. I don't even know you."

"Layla…" Nabu trailed off, knowing that she wouldn't listen. He'd never anticipated that Riven's lie would affect him. He turned back to his friends; they all knew they were wrong. Nabu saw that in their eyes.

* * *

><p>Andy laid Musa on her bed and pulled the cover over her. He thought he was drunk, but Musa was almost unconscious. It wasn't a bad thing though, since her world hadn't come crashing down.<p>

"Well, what do we do?"

"What do you mean, Bloom?" Flora asked and sat herself down on Stella's bed, from where all the girls were looking at Musa pitifully.

"I mean, what do we do next? Do we tell her or not?"

"Think about it logically, would you want to know in a situation like this?" Tecna asked the girls.

"I don't know? If I was in Musa's shoes, I'd think everything was perfect. I wouldn't want it to end," Stella answered.

"Yeah, but would you want to waste your time with a fake? If she found out now, it would hurt her less than if she found out in a year's time," Layla reasoned. From the armchair, Andy nodded. All he wanted was for Musa to feel the least amount of pain possible.

"Her heart would break no matter when she found out though." Flora frowned.

"So you're saying that she shouldn't find out and just continue living a lie?" Layla asked in disbelief.

"That's not what I meant."

"We have two options. Let her live a beautiful lie or the painful truth."

"I don't think we have options, Tecna. She needs to know!" Layla argued.

"Layla's right."

"No. There has to be another way!"

"There isn't Bloom!" Stella exclaimed, raising her voice. From the bed, Musa moaned and tossed. This caused Stella to bite her lip and quieten down.

"Yes there is, Stella. There's always another way."

Stella sighed. "I don't think lying is going to help anything." The girls gave each other uneasy looks. None of them wanted to be the one to drop the bombshell.

"If one of us told her, surely Musa would be more hurt," Tecna stated.

"She may not even believe us," Flora added. The girls nodded slowly.

"We could get Riven to tell her?" Stella suggested with a sheepish look.

The girls scoffed upon hearing the idea. "Would he?" Layla scrunched up her face.

"I think he's done enough." Flora tightened her hand around her top in anger. "Besides, how do we know she'll believe him? She'll probably think he's joking. After all, she's in love with him."

"This isn't solving anything…" Tecna grumbled, stating the obvious. She was frustrated, as were they all.

"I have an idea," Andy piped up suddenly. "Why don't we use the situation to our advantage? Riven's obviously going to be staying away from Musa now, so what if we made her believe that he's not interested anymore? You could also threaten Riven to say a few things to push her away. After everything he's done, it's the least he can do to fix this. Then eventually, his behaviour would make her end the relationship. That way, she won't get hurt."

"It's not a bad idea."

"Yes it is, Bloom. Won't Riven's sudden change in behaviour seem strange?" Tecna narrowed her eyes as she posed her question.

"And she will be hurt! She believes she's found the perfect guy, it would kill her to lose him." Stella's eyebrows crinkled in sadness. There didn't seem to be a way out.

Layla dropped her head in her palms and groaned. "Can't we just leave it? You know, go with the flow? Let fate decide for Musa."

"Maybe that's best." Flora stood up and went over to her resting friend. She sat down besides her and put a hand of her arm, silently consoling her.

"But don't our own decisions and actions shape fate?" Tecna inquired. The girls just closed their eyes and gave up. Nothing they could do would solve the problem, they'd established that.

"I think-"

"Flora? Flora, are you in there?" Helia called out from behind the door.

The brunette looked at her friends, questioning whether she should respond or let alone speak to Helia.

"Please Flora. Can you and girls come to my room? Riven wants to explain."

A bitter yet amused laugh escaped Layla's mouth. "By explain do you mean lie? He can't make it sound better. Seriously, you guys have some nerve!"

Helia shut his eyes and breathed out. "Please. Just come. Give him a chance. What he wants to say will surprise you, it surprised me."

After getting looks from the girls, Layla gave in. "Fine, we're coming. I can't wait to see what this jerk has to say."

As the girls filed out of the room, Stella stayed back with Andy. She instructed him to stay by Musa's side and not let her out of the room if she woke up.

Sky let the girls into Riven and Helia's room. Then he led them to an empty bed where they were seated. Riven sat opposite them on his own bed with some of his friends sitting beside him and the rest standing to his sides, including Brandon who was back from the hospital. The girls waited for him to start.

"I don't know how to say this…" Riven started, murmuring.

"Spit it out!" Layla ordered, getting angrier by the second.

"And just to let you know, sorry isn't going to cut it," Stella added, equally, if not more angry.

"I never planned on apologising," Riven retorted. "I admit that I was putting on a façade and I admit that I planned to play around with Musa…"

"I don't see how this is helping." Layla furrowed her eyebrows.

"What I mean to say is…I didn't think I'd fall in love with her but that's what happened. When I accepted it, I did realise that I was jerk for planning such a game. But I'm not sorry, because without my dumbass plan none of this would've happened. I wasn't ever planning on leaving her, or I wouldn't have taken things so far. I love her. I truly do."

The girls absorbed the new information silently but were still suspicious.

"How can we believe you?" Flora asked, softening up a little.

"I don't know. All I know is that I'm not lying. Just look at Musa, she's perfectly happy. Have I hurt her in any way? No. I think that speaks for itself."

"We believe you."

"Wait, we do?" Stella looked at Bloom, blinking in surprise. Bloom shrugged in response. She didn't see a reason not to believe him. The little bit of evidence was enough for her, and maybe for the other girls but it definitely wasn't enough for Stella.

"I don't see why we shouldn't believe him? The evidence he's given backs up his claim," Tecna explained, supporting Bloom in the process.

"What about you Layla? Do you believe him?" Stella looked at Layla, hoping that her chocolate haired friend would back her up.

Layla stirred. "Well, he hasn't hurt Musa, that's true and he's also made her happy. It's the happiest I've ever seen her."

Stella turned back to Riven. "So now what, huh? Where are you planning to go from here?"

"I-I don't know," Riven admitted.

"So you're going to carry on as you are and just disappear when your holiday is over?"

"I said I don't know!" Riven snapped.

The boys nodded at each other and decided that it was about time they stepped in. "Why don't we all go grab some drinks at the bar?" Nabu suggested, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"I'm up for that." Flora pat her thighs and stood up. The other girls also stood up and filed out the room, followed by the boys.

Stella was appalled at how quickly the girls dismissed the issue and accepted Riven's explanation. She hadn't bought it for a second. Wanting answers, she decided to stay back. Just as Helia was about to exit his room, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back inside.

"Whoa!" Helia cried and steadied himself once Stella had let go.

"You're Riven's best friend, right?" Stella asked him, narrowing her eyes. She had her finger stuck out and was pointing at him.

"Sadly."

"Good. Then you can tell me if what he's said was true! And you better not lie because I'm sure you know better than to mess with me!" Stella stomped forwards, backing Helia into the wall.

Helia gulped and then smiled a little. He felt his knees go weak after looking at the vicious blonde. "Uh. Y-yes. Yes, it is all true. He does love Musa, I swear."

Stella backed off a little. "Were you part of planning his game?"

"What? Me? No way! I was the one who was against it! The guys threatened me so I wouldn't tell anyone, and Riven _forced_ me to do stupid things, like steal Musa's diary so he could impress her!" Helia blurted out in fear. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. "I knew it was wrong so I refused to do anything after getting trapped in your room and hiding! Please don't beat me with your heels!" Helia finished, begging out of fear.

Stella's eyes looked as if they were about to fall out of her sockets. "WHAT?"

"What?" Helia asked, opening in eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows and carried on cowering in fear.

"I'm going to kill you!" Stella charged towards Helia and pushed him hard against the wall after ripping him off it.

"Please don't! Help! Someone please!" Helia cried in desperation as Stella began kicking him on his shin.

"You're equally as bad as Riven! How could you let him invade someone's privacy and let him use someone for fun?"

"I'm sorry!" Helia apologised. He was starting to get more and more terrified of her rage.

"You will rot!" Stella tightened her grip around Helia's collar.

Just as she was about to punch Helia in the stomach, she was stopped by someone who grabbed her arm. When she turned to see who it was, it was no one other than Flora, who had come looking for her boyfriend. "Stella, what do you think you're doing?"

"He helped steal Musa's diary to get information so Riven could impress her!" Stella hissed.

Flora gasped. "Helia…" she spoke in a disappointed tone. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. I thought you just knew about the plan, I never thought _you_ would do that!"

"It wasn't just me, Brandon helped get it most of the time." Helia didn't care if he was snitching on his friend; he just couldn't let himself fall in Flora's eyes. She was everything to him.

Stella raised her eyebrows. "I'm glad I stopped dating him!"

"Let's just forget about this," Flora concluded.

"Yes, let's. If the guys find out, I'll be dead."

"Well they're never going to find out. Right, Stella?" Flora looked at Stella, hoping that she'd agree.

"…Right."

"Thank you." Helia breathed out in relief. "By the way, I am truly sorry."

Stella just looked away and then walked out of the room.

"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Flora inquired as soon as Stella had left the room.

"I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."

* * *

><p>Riven waited, crouched down next to a vase table, near Musa's hotel room. He was waiting for Stella to leave with Andy, so that he could see Musa. It only took a few minutes till he got what he wanted so he quietly snuck into the room with the spare key he had. He paused once he shut the door behind him and gazed at his girlfriend. She lay limply on the bed with only her head and arms, which were clutching the sheet, out of the covers. Slowly, he approached and sat down on the side of her bed. Whilst holding her hand, in his head he apologised for having her be a part of his game. He hoped that she would never have to find out; he wouldn't be able to bear the sight of her in pain because of him. Leaning down, he planted a kiss on her forehead. Musa's eyes began to flicker as soon as he pulled away.<p>

"Riven?" Musa said in a hushed tone.

"Do you feel better?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Not really. My head still hurts. What even happened to me?"

"You drank a bit too much while dancing, and collapsed."

"Oh. Did you bring me here?"

Riven paused. "Uh. Yeah."

"Sorry for ruining your night."

"No. Don't apologise. I ruined it myself."

"What do you m-"

"What are you doing here?" Stella boomed as she burst into the room. She stood in the door way with her hands on her hips and a furious look in her eyes.

Riven stood up and backed away slightly as Stella strode over to him.

"Musa! Glad to see you're awake. Now please excuse us." Stella smiled in Musa's direction before grabbing Riven and dragging him out of the room.

"I just wanted to see her!" Riven told Stella whilst trying to push her hand off his arm.

"I don't care, Riven. It's too soon after I told you to stay away!"

Musa had heard what they'd said and couldn't help but have confusion cloud her brain. She wanted to know what was going on and what had happened to make Stella behave differently. With curiosity getting the better of her, she tried to prop herself up on her elbows in order to get up, but felt incapable of doing so. As she fell back onto her bed, she heard Stella shouting just outside of the room. By now, it was clear to Musa that something bad had happened and it appeared to be Riven's fault. Struggling, she sat up just as Stella walked back into the room.

"How are you feeling, M? You look much better."

"Fine," Musa lied. "What's going on? Why were you shouting at Riven?"

"What are you talking about, darling?"

"Stel, I know something happened."

"Nothing happened! Just get some rest." Stella beamed, taking a seat on Musa's bed.

Musa pouted and crossed her arms. She refused to make eye contact with her friend. Stella rolled her eyes at her friend's childish behaviour. She was already angry with the events of that night and Musa wasn't helping the cause.

"Stella, just tell me!" Musa snapped and turned to face Stella. Then the two had a staring contest until their eyes had narrowed to slits. It was only then when Stella became exasperated and threw her arms up in the air.

"Fine! Riven played with you, Musa! He found your diary and decided to use you in his game! Then he stole it, time after time, so he could impress you! How else did he know exactly what you liked and exactly what you wanted in a guy? You couldn't have thought it was a coincidence! He _pretended_ to be perfect but in reality, he's not! He put up a mask and fooled you! He didn't take you out because he genuinely liked you, but because he wanted to use you for a laugh! It was all part of his plan!" By the time Stella had finished putting out the truth, she was standing at Musa's feet with a red face. Meanwhile, Musa sat, unchanged by what Stella had said. It was almost as if she was deaf and hadn't heard a word. "It's all a lie, Musa! It's all a lie…" Stella trailed off, crying.

Seeing tears tumble down Stella's cheeks made Musa's eyes water and soon, tears were sliding down her cheeks as well. Though, she wasn't sobbing like her blonde friend, she was just numb and still. Stella crawled over to her and wrapped her in a hug, but even then Musa didn't move. Her lips just parted as more tears left glistening remains on her cheeks.

"No…" Musa whispered.

"Yes!" Stella wailed, pulling Musa closer. "I'm so sorry!"

"No! You're lying!" Musa cried, parting from the embrace.

"Believe me, I wish I was."

Musa shook her head and then pushed the covers off herself and ran out of the room, her headache and body pain suddenly gone. She ran down the corridor, two flights of stairs and out of the hotel. Riven's magenta hair was visible to her as she approached the bar next to the pool. She halted a few meters behind him and watched as he laughed and clinked glasses with his friends and her own.

"At least something good came out of it!" Bloom exclaimed and then proceeded with gulping down her drink.

"Yeah, Riven's personal enjoyment!" Brandon sniggered, joking.

"Well, I got to admit, it was pretty fun! I never expected getting so much amusement from it!" Riven played along and laughed with the rest of the group.

Musa had figured out that they were talking about what Stella had told her. The words of the boys didn't hurt her as much as the words of Bloom did. Had her friends known about Riven's plan? Her head reeled with questions. At least now she knew that what she'd been told was true.

There was no feeling of numbness.

There was just heartache.

Only heartache.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it, chapter 21! <strong>

**Expect updates soon! Feedback's welcome :)**


	22. Teardrops

**Chapter 22: Teardrops**

Tears welled up in Musa's eyes and took the same path that her previous tears had taken. A feeling of not being able to breathe accompanied her tears. It felt like she'd been punched in the stomach repeatedly till all the air had been drawn out of her lungs and her chest had been left tensed.

Everything had gone silent and played in slow motion. Her attention was drawn to Riven's face, and she saw how his muscles moved as he laughed. It was like he was laughing at her for how naïve and moronic she had been to have fallen straight into his trap.

Musa shut her eyes, not able to bear the laughing faces her friends possessed, and cursed herself for being incredibly blind. A fresh cascade of tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her bare feet, causing her to clench her fists, so tightly that her skin threatened to rip.

She wanted nothing more than to drop to her knees and cry her heart out.

Her entire world was crumbling bit by bit and the shards were falling onto her, burying her under their weight which was made up of lies. It crashed down slowly allowing her to see all of it. Every little moment she'd shared with Riven circled her mind. Then all of a sudden, all of her memories dissolved into nothingness and all her feelings merged and vanished. The only thing left now was pain. It ran through her blood, and she could feel it in every inch of her body.

Musa smiled in sadness, knowing that most perfect stage her life had come to an end. She figured that the current events were what Aunt Ivy had hidden from her. Though it didn't explain why the woman would let her experience so much pain when it was easily preventable.

Her head was reeling. Nothing made sense. Riven was meant to be the one for her. Everything added up. She had met him near something serene: the sea. He'd also been wearing a raven vest that had been fraying and had had been playing the guitar, something which she also loved to do. There had even been hurdles, like the things that had happened with Andy and Jake, but she had overcome them all. She should've been experiencing the perfect finale, not the heart wrenching end.

The last of her tears left her cheeks as she drew in a large breath and stepped forwards, not minding that her toes rubbed against the cold and rough ground. "Riven."

Slowly, the smiling faces and laughs faded till only silence remained. One by one, everyone set their eyes on Musa and horrified faces spread among them. Riven wasn't breathing. He wanted to explain so badly but that what was so overwhelming that he wasn't able to open his mouth. Before he managed to bring himself to say anything, Musa began with tears at the bottom of her eyes.

"You lowly cheat." Her words were calmly said with utmost bitterness. "You're worthless," she hissed after a pause, trembling as her vision went blurry due to her tears. "You don't deserve to be in world. You belong in _hell_…Did you really think I would never find out? Were you really expecting yourself to be successful in your game?"

Tears fell from Musa's eyes as Riven stood up.

"You toyed with my feelings! You made me believe that we had some sort of connection. You made me think you…actually loved me," Musa whimpered. More tears fell. "Congratulations, Riven! You won. Your façade fooled me, just like you wanted. Why aren't you smiling? Go on, go laugh about your victory."

Her words were perforating Riven's heart; and he felt the pain.

"I've never met _anyone_ like you. You're disgusting. I can't believe I thought you were different. I can't believe I thought you were _perfect!_"

"Musa…" Riven whispered softly, trying to approach her.

"Get away from me! You're nothing to me. You're just a jerk that I was unfortunate enough to meet."

"I love you..."

Musa scoffed. "No. No, you don't. Everything you've said has been a lie! I don't believe what you're saying anymore!"

"I mean it, Musa. Just listen to me!?" Riven pleaded, raising his voice. "I love you," he repeated sincerely, holding onto Musa's shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.

Their eyes stayed locked for a while till Musa's gaze dropped. "You hurt me." She sobbed and covered her flood of tears with her hands.

Riven's entire body was frozen. His violet eyes filled up with tears upon seeing her cry. Unworthy is what he was, and he wasn't able to meet her gaze because of that fact. He'd played a cruel game, and this was his consequence. The sight of her in tears was his worst nightmare. It killed him inside to see her hurt but it was his fault, and he could do nothing about it but repent. A thousand apologies would not be enough for his sin. Nor would a million. Nothing he could possibly do would reduce the pain Musa was feeling, the pain he'd inflicted her with.

Musa brushed away the last of her tears and gave Riven a hateful look before rushing back into the hotel. Riven closed his eyes, swallowing back his tears. He turned back to the group with red eyes. They were all standing up, shocked at what they'd witnessed but even more shocked at Riven's teary eyes.

The sound of thundering feet could be heard from the room in which Flora, Helia and Andy sat. As the source of the sound ran past, sobbing was audible as well. The three of them furrowed their eyebrows and exchanged glances before Andy opened the door and looked into the corridor. With eyes full of alarm, he turned back to his friends. "It's Musa."

After Flora's gasp, they hurriedly ran out of Flora's room towards Musa and Stella's.

Musa's speed slowed as she drew nearer to her room. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest. It was surprising that it still worked after the great amount of pain and breakage it'd suffered. Leaving the pain outside, Musa stepped into her room with composure. She ignored her tear stained friend and violently grabbed her suitcase and started stuffing her belongings into it. Stella figured that her friend had confronted Riven and now was done. The blonde watched silently as Musa roughly folded her clothes and threw them into her bags. After a while of watching Musa frustrated and upset, she couldn't take it, so got up and placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a small smile. Musa just reverted to her bags but soon gave up packing. She dropped the last of her clothes onto her bed and shakily sighed. Then abruptly she threw herself into Stella's embrace and let the blonde encase her weak body in her grip. Tears left her eyes yet again and she wailed into Stella's shoulder. Even though the sound was muffled, Flora, Helia and Andy were still able to hear it outside the girls' room. In an instant, they realised what had happened and bowed their heads.

* * *

><p>Flora and the two boys walked out of Musa's room with their eyes lowered sorrowfully. Neither of them knew what to say, all they knew was that they had a job to fulfill, and that was to get Musa away from Breconize and back home. She had reluctantly told them everything and in return had gotten some comforting hugs. She hadn't been mad at the three of them, only because they hadn't been present at the bar and seemed genuinely bad about the ordeal, unlike the rest of her friends who had been laughing. It was obvious that Musa wanted to leave the place immediately, and the three of them had decided to leave with along with her and Stella. Flora and Andy because Musa was their friend and needed their support, and Helia because he wanted to be with Flora and felt guilty about being part of Riven's sick plan. He vowed to earn Musa's forgiveness.<p>

"I'll go with Helia to sort out our flight tickets. Would you try and find a taxi?"

"I'm on it." Andy gave the couple a nod before he headed out to find them some transport despite the fact that it was very late at night.

The corridor was left deserted once the three went. Stella filled it by putting all her luggage and Musa's out into the corridor for the bellhop to collect. She was glad that they were leaving and happy that she was finally protecting Musa just like she should've been. It was that and what Andy had told her that had made her spill the truth out to Musa but keep part of it unknown. Andy had had a bigger influence; he'd told her various reasons why Musa should move on and that Riven was not good for her. He'd seemed concerned for his friend and Stella agreed with everything he had had to say. If it hadn't been for Andy, she might have not said anything.

"They've gone to arrange our travel," Stella told Musa gently.

Musa sat numbly on her bed with moist tissues in her hand, trying to block out the pain. Andy's suggestion for leaving sat rightly with her. It seemed like the only way to forget Riven and the game she'd been part of; staying in Breconize and seeing him and her disloyal friends everyday definitely wasn't going to help. Inside she smiled at how wonderful Andy had been. She considered him a true friend. Her smile shone on the outside, and it grew as she realised that she still had a bunch of real friends by her side, those that really cared.

"What are you smiling at, hun?"

Musa sniffled and then turned to her best friend. "You guys. I'm so glad I have you." Happy tears pooled in her eyes as she smiled widely.

It warmed Stella's heart to see that her friend appreciated her so much. A smile of her own appeared on her lips and happy tears pooled her eyes too. When the two exchanged glances, they couldn't help but laugh and stand to hug.

"I love you, darling!"

"I love you too, Stel." The girls giggled some more and squeezed each other tighter.

"Musa? Stel?" A voice called from outside.

The girls parted and looked at each other before peering at the door.

"Is it Flora?" Musa furrowed her eyebrows, amazed that she had sorted out their flight so quickly.

"I don't know? It sounds a bit like her. Let me go check." Stella strut over to the door and pulled it open. Her eyes widened but soon became narrow as her gaze fell upon the visitors. "Why are you guys here?"

"We wanted to see Musa," Layla explained. Bloom and Tecna nodded from her side, concern evident in their eyes.

"Sorry, she's not here."

"Stel, who is it? Is it Flora?" Musa shouted from inside the room.

Stella laughed slightly before shutting up at Bloom's glares and Layla and Tecna's unamused expressions.

"Come on, Stella! We want to be there for her!" Tecna tried barging past Stella, but the blonde didn't budge.

"You should have thought about that before you joined Riven's group!"

"We did no such thing!" Tecna protested.

"Look. We just want to explain. All of us were just joking!"

"I don't want to hear it, Layla. It's best if you leave. Musa doesn't want to see you and nor do me and Flora. After today, we want nothing to do with you guys. Goodbye." Stella began shutting the door but Layla put her foot in the door way.

"Stella, how can you say that? We've been friends forever. You can't just stop us from seeing our friends!" Bloom cried, annoyed at Stella's behaviour.

"What friends are you talking about, Bloom?" Flora's gentle voice was mixed with anger and surprise. She stood with crossed arms, looking sceptically at the girls.

"Not you too, Flo!" Layla frowned.

Flora shook her head. "We are no longer friends. Stella's right, I do not want anything to do with you three and it's clear that Musa doesn't either. You hurt her and you hurt us by your disloyalty. I never expected this of you."

Tecna widened her eyes at what she was hearing. "Flora, you know very well that we had nothing to do with Riven's plan!"

"I'm not so sure. How do we know that you weren't part of it?"

"I agree with Stella. Your boyfriends could've easily persuaded you to join."

"Flora!" Bloom exclaimed with a loud voice.

"How could you accuse us of such a thing?!" Layla asked with livid eyes. Along with her two friends, she stared at the brunette and blonde.

"I'm sorry but you have no proof to pledge your innocence."

"You don't have proof to show that we're _guilty_ either!" Tecna announced, angrier than before.

"Well, Musa sounded pretty convincing. She told us about how you were laughing with Riven and his group of jerks!" Stella countered.

"So you're going to believe what Musa _saw _over what all _three_ of us are saying?!"

"Yes, Bloom. I am," Flora replied. "The way you three accepted Riven's counter story so easily does seem a little fishy to me. He just claimed to love her, and all of you believed it. I can't help but think it was an act." With no further argument, she retreated into the room behind her.

Layla, Bloom and Tecna stood, taken aback. Nothing that had happened seemed real. The friends they knew weren't acting like themselves. It was as if they were in a parallel universe.

"Have a nice life. Humph." Stella jerked her head and then disappeared into room after Flora, not wanting to argue any further.

The girls outside remained frozen in their spot. They couldn't believe they'd just lost three of their closest friends.

"Now what?" Layla asked, breaking the silence. The three of them exchanged baffled looks.

"This is completely illogical."

"I guess that's it. They're not going to listen."

"Bloom, are you giving up? You?" Layla stared at her friend.

"Yes, that's even more illogical than the situation we're in."

"There's nothing we can do!"

"But we mustn't give up. They're our friends." Tecna placed a hand on the red head's shoulder.

"If we don't fight, they're going to think we were really part of Riven's game!"

"They already think that," Bloom responded.

"We could at least try and make them believe otherwise!"

"No Layla. Why should we? How could they accuse us of playing with Musa's relationship? They know us very well, they should've known better. _We_ know we're innocent and in time, they'll find out. Why should we go crawling to them? They're the ones who made a mistake, not us. We were just joking around. We didn't have any bad intentions."

After a long pause, Tecna spoke. "Maybe Bloom's right? What they did was unreasonable."

"Do you really want friends like them? They only heard one side of the story, and refused to listen to ours. They didn't even trust us or assume that we wouldn't do something like that. It's obvious that they like Musa more than us. We're the ones who should be mad at them!"

"Yeah…" Layla fumbled her fingers. "Yeah!" she exclaimed after a pause, this time agreeing with her two remaining friends. "You're right. We can leave them if they can leave us!"

Bloom and Tecna smiled. "Yeah!"

"Come on. Let's go have some fun!"

Tecna pulled Layla back by her shoulder before she could run off. "Let's get some sleep first."

"Good idea!" Bloom laughed and then proceeded down the corridor clinging onto Tecna's arm.

* * *

><p>"It was the girls, wasn't it?"<p>

Stella and Flora uneasily nodded.

"I thought so."

"It's okay. We took care of them!" Stella beamed.

"Yeah. Now let's go. Helia managed to get some airship tickets and I'm sure Andy's found a taxi by now. Let me just go pack my things then I'll meet you girls outside."

Musa escorted Flora outside, while Stella did a last minute check to ensure nothing had been forgotten in the room.

"All set!" Stella shut the door behind her. "We'll miss you darling! Bye now!" Stella blew a kiss at the door and then walked down the corridor with Musa, who was giggling and shaking her head at the blonde.

The two arrived outside after checking out and handing in their door key, which Stella was also upset to part with. They were met by the early morning chill and dew. The dewy grass reminded Musa of the time she was Riven, standing outside the hotel, when he was convincing her that he liked her despite rejecting her kiss. Unknowingly, she smiled at the thought but soon remembered that he had only been trying to impress her. Her smile turned upside down. As it did, Stella put a comforting arm around her. They had been waiting for their friends for five minutes when Andy came jogging over to them. Stella immediately perked up. "I found a taxi. It's waiting around the corner. I'll just go grab my things."

Just as Andy was about to enter the hotel, Musa spun around and stopped him. "Andy, wait!" She waited for him to walk over to her. "I don't think you should come with us. I mean, it's nice of you but what about the article?"

Andy furrowed his brows. "I don't care about the article. I care about you. You're much more important to me."

"What about your job? That's important too. I don't care if I lose my job; I just couldn't see you lose yours 'cause of me!"

"I'm coming with you. I don't care about my job!"

"Please, Andy?" Musa went up to him and put her hand on his arm. "Just stay here for a few more days until the festival finishes. Think about it? The article could open a lot of doors for you. Don't ruin your future because of me. You'll only live to regret it."

"But-"

"It's only a few more days, then you can come back home. Please," Musa begged. Stella nodded encouragingly from behind her.

"Fine." Reluctantly, Andy gave in.

Musa breathed out and smiled. The two of them then embraced and Andy headed back to his room, after Musa had persuaded him to go sleep. He hadn't said a word to Stella even though she was going to be leaving. She took it as a hint so excused herself and went after him. That left Musa standing outside by herself in her short dress which wasn't doing much to help her keep warm. She walked ahead and then sat down on a bench, taking in the last of the views and hoping that Flora and Helia would arrive soon.

Musa's head was resting on the bench when she heard rustling coming from the bushes. Holding her gasp in, she whipped her head around and saw Riven climb out from the greenery. She was on her feet the second he started walking over to her. Her breathing became shallow as he stopped. She was scared. She didn't want to bear any more pain than she was already in, and she absolutely didn't want him there just before she was about to leave, he would only remind her of what she could have had. While removing his jacket, he approached her then held it out. Musa took it from him but didn't wear it, she just held it in her hands.

"Wh-why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you before you left."

"To do what?" she asked, trying to put as much strength in her voice as possible.

"To apologise and tell you again that I love you."

"Just…stop!" she exclaimed, sounding tired of dealing with him.

"Not until you believe me."

"Then you might be here a while." She put his jacket on the bench and then crossed her arms.

"I don't mind." Riven stepped closer. "Musa-"

"You knew everything…You knew that I'd had my fortune told and that I was meant to find someone here! You pretended to be that person! How could you do that? You weren't meant to be the one at the beach, there was probably someone else. But you had to ruin everything!"

Riven didn't know what to reply with. He stood quietly while she kept her eyes shut in hopes that he would just disappear. "What if I _was _meant to be him? You met me at the beach just like you were meant to and I was wearing the vest that was predicted. Wasn't that fate? It was part of my game, but you didn't know that. To you it was a coincidence, but it did happen, just like that fortune teller said."

Musa raised her head and looked Riven in the eye. "I thought that. But after finding out that everything was a lie, I doubted it. I still do. If you were really the one, we wouldn't be over."

"We don't have to be over. You chose that for yourself. I still believe I'm the one."

"If you are, fate should connect us." Without another word, Musa hurriedly walked back into the hotel. Soon after, Riven followed her wearing a puzzled look. He saw that she was waiting in front of the elevators and asked what she intended to do. "You go in that one and I'll go in this one. Then if we meet on the same floor, maybe I'll believe that fate wanted us to be together."

Riven stared at Musa with furrowed brows. The whole idea was absurd to him. Though, the real problem was that he was nervous that they wouldn't meet on the same floor and that he'd lose her. But deciding not to lose the chance he had, he nodded and stepped into the lift at the same time Musa stepped into hers. Musa wasn't nervous; she just sucked in her breath and punched the number six. The doors of the lift closed and she felt herself become heavy as it went upwards. Back in Riven's lift, his eyes were darting all over the glowing buttons. He was indecisive. Swallowing, he ran a hand through his hair and pressed the first button his thumb came into contact with.

He had pushed the number six.

The lift came to a halt, and Musa stepped out. She walked to the middle of the corridor and focused on the elevator Riven was meant to come out of. She could see the number on top of the lift glow as the lift proceeded upwards. Some hope was generated within her as the light moved towards the higher numbers.

Riven's fingers were tapping against his thigh as the lift went higher. In his mind he cursed it for being so slow. The anticipation was killing him along with his fear.

Suddenly, the lift stopped and the doors opened. He glanced at the buttons and realised that he was on fourth floor. A large group of girls and their rowdy boyfriends had stopped it and were now slowly lumbering into the lift. Riven became panicked, he was running out of time. Musa would leave if he didn't arrive in front of her. Determination soon clouded his eyes and he pushed past the people keeping his goal in mind and headed for the stairs in order to get to floor six.

Tears merged in Musa's eyes as the light on top of Riven's elevator stopped on the number four. Her thoughts had been proven right; he wasn't the one for her. Her hope fluttered away as she stepped back into the elevator. Just as the doors had closed, Riven came jogging from the stairs, only to find an empty corridor. He swore and panted with his hands on his hips. Everything slowed down as he looked left and right, still trusting that Musa was going to be standing somewhere. But she wasn't. Something in Riven broke at that moment and disappointment caused him to curse yet again. Lucky for him, his fight wasn't over. His determination was still flowing through his blood stream, not letting him give up. With it fuelling his actions, he began running down the stairs in order to catch Musa again.

* * *

><p>Sobbing, Musa ran out of the hotel, trying to wipe her tears in the process.<p>

"Musa!" She knew exactly who had called her name so she didn't turn around. She waited until Riven himself came to her. "Give me another chance?! Please?"

"I've got all my answers. We're not meant to be together, just accept it!"

"There has to be another way to prove it! Can we try something else?" Riven's tone was desperate, but Musa turned a blind eye to it, refusing to believe that he was actually scared of losing her.

It still hurt her knowing that she was letting him go. She didn't want to part with him. Though, she saw no choice. Her integrity would never allow her to go back to him and nor would her mind that only saw the reality of things, and now knew only one thing and that was to stop her getting hurt. Her heart on the other hand had a slightly different opinion. It did not want to endure pain, but it still wanted Riven. So it was her heart that made her next decision.

She walked over to her luggage and from her purse took out some money and a pen. On one note, she wrote her phone number in small writing and then handed Riven the pen and the other note.

"Write your number on it."

"Why?"

"Just do it." As soon as Riven had finished scribbling his own phone number on the note, Musa continued. "Money goes from place to place, so it'll be up to our destinies to get the notes to us. And if you ever find the note with my number on it, then you can call me. That way, I'll know we were meant to be together and I'll come back to you."

Even though Riven didn't particularly like the idea, considering the chances of getting Musa's note were slim, he accepted. "Fine. But I hope you know you're crazy."

Musa shrugged in response. "You're only saying that 'cause you know that we'll never get the notes."

"I never said that. I _know _I'll get your note. What I'm saying is that we can save a lot of time if we don't do this."

"Time doesn't come into this, Riven. If our destinies really wanted us to be together, then we'll get each other's note as soon we can. After what's happened, I _need _to know that you're the one who was meant for me." With that, Musa took the note from Riven's hand and along with her own, went into the hotel and bought a small souvenir from the shop. When she returned, she handed it to Riven with a smile on her lips. "Remember me by it."

"You're saying it like we're never going to meet again."

"We don't know if we are." Musa stepped back. "Goodbye Riven."

Riven gave her a slight nod after taking his last glimpses of her, for now, and then strolled into the hotel, somewhat happy that they hadn't ended on a sour note. On his way he passed Stella, Flora and Helia, who looked confused to have seen him walk away from Musa with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for getting me my first review century! All of you guys who took the time to drop in a comment are the best! <strong>

**Secondly, I'm glad to announce that the story is nearing the end. Only eight more chapters to go!**


	23. Down the line

**Chapter 23: Down the line**

Two long years had passed. A lot was the same but a lot had changed as well. Stella was still the same old Stella, but was a little crazier about Andy than she had been before. The two had gotten together shortly after Andy had come home and their two year anniversary was fast approaching, which only meant that Stella was freaking out about an outfit for the big day. Andy had changed, and now was less of a rocker since he'd become a journalist. The job he'd scored after the radio company fell in love with his article about the Breconize music festival. Other than that, he had become good friends with Helia considering Helia was the only other guy he hung out with due their girlfriends and because he'd employed him as the photographer for his articles. Helia was more or less the same person, only more mature because he'd become a father. The guilt he possessed over what had happened with Musa still remained with him, but he'd done everything he could to make it up to her; it was fair to say he'd become Musa's older brother. His girlfriend, Flora, whom he desperately wanted to propose to, was exactly the same as she had been. Already endowed with motherly qualities, she didn't have to become more responsible or adult after her daughter had been born. She'd given her the name Dahlia as if to pay respect to her deceased cousin. At one year old, she'd already started to walk even if it was with the help of the wall and other objects. She was a perfect mixture of her parents with hair as black as ink, eyes as green as leaves and skin the pasty colour of fresh dough.

It was her birthday that was being celebrated, courtesy of Jake, the bass player of the Mistaken, the band Musa and Andy had interviewed on the first night of the festival in Breconize, which now seemed like a long, long time ago. He'd strongly insisted he host the party so Flora and Helia had found it hard to object. So here they were, standing in a middle of a giant hall masked with pale pink ribbons and an assortment of multi-coloured balloons. The group was gathered around a circular table draped with a white cloth, singing happy birthday to Dahlia, who was eyeing the cream cake in such a way that it looked as if she could read and saw that her name had been spelt incorrectly. The singing soon stopped and the drunken voices of Jake's many industry friends died down. Their cries in the middle of the song had not only caused Helia to wince while holding his daughter but Flora to regret allowing Jake to invite only a _few _of his friends to the celebration. Just as Dahlia was about to begin puffing at the single candle, a cluster of Jake's friends lumbered up to the cake table and bid farewell, which made it all the more obvious that they had only come for the booze. Flora smiled her anger away and pointed towards the exit, and then resumed to grinning for Musa who was taking pictures.

"Awh. She looks so adorable!" Musa giggled, examining the pictures on the small screen of her camera. She then ushered for Andy and Stella to step out of the frame and snapped a few shots of just the birthday girl blowing out, or trying to blow out the candle, and her parents.

Applause erupted from the crowd when the small flame on the candle turned into a tendril of smoke. Dahlia's proud father threw her high in the air in delight while her mother wiped away a trickle of tears. The girls, meaning Musa and Stella, rushed over to their friend's daughter and gave her a truckload of hugs and put in her tiny hands presents. They then battled through the swarm of guests that were drawing closer to Dahlia and put the final touches to the party games they'd set up. They'd spent half an hour watching a handful of babies dance and laugh when they finally decided it was time to grab drinks to aid their parched throats.

Glasses in hand, they strolled over to a far corner to get some much needed peace and privacy from the stares they'd been receiving from Jake's left over friends. "How do you put up with it?" Stella asked referring to the looks.

"I don't," Musa replied. "Since I've stopped going to most of Jake's fancy parties."

"I'm surprised lover boy doesn't do anything about them."

"Lover boy-Jake-," Musa blushed, "doesn't notice them. He's always too busy talking to people to pay attention to me. And I don't think it's so important to bring attention to."

"Ooh." Stella grimaced. "Guess I should stop putting so much effort into your outfits then."

"You know…your outfits may be the problem. Maybe I just look so damn hot that nobody can keep their eyes off me." Musa winked, fluffing up her hair with her hands.

"Uh-huh," Stella nodded, hands on hips. "Keep talking."

While the two were giggling away, the three boys were standing by the bar having a general discussion about Helia's biggest problem, which had been a recurring topic for the last couple of months. It was surprising that Andy and Jake weren't fed up.

"What's wrong with proposing to her after the party?"

Jake sighed through his teeth. "Helia, for the last time, its Dahlia's birthday, you'll take the attention away from her."

"And the venue isn't nearly as romantic as it should be."

Helia gave Andy a side glance. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Somewhere like the lake would be good. I'm going to propose to Musa there tonight," Jake threw in before Andy could even begin to think of a suggestion.

Musa had been quite depressed once she'd returned to Magix, her home. Stella and Flora's attempts at cheering her up had been futile and even Andy couldn't get her to go back to her old self. It was a month later she'd cracked her first smile, and it had been because of Jake, who'd suddenly sauntered into her life even though she'd quite clearly rejected him in the cave they had talked in. He'd made her feel special. So special that she'd forgotten about Riven, who shouldn't have been on her mind in the first place. Jake had taken a break from his band and in that time built a strong relationship with Musa. He'd made her fall in love with him and forget everything that weighed her heart down. It was because of him that she was now a new person, glowing and lively. But even though they were perfect together, as they'd been told by many, their relationship was at a standstill. It had been like that for a good three months, even though Jake had proposed many times in order for it to go further. He thought that was what Musa wanted but she'd rejected him all the thirty three times he'd asked for her hand in marriage. It had undoubtedly left him confused but didn't keep him from giving up. As expected her refusals had lead to a number of arguments but she hadn't thrown their relationship away. That fact had given Jake hope, and he assumed that she just wasn't ready to commit yet. Though the matter was much more complex than what Jake thought.

Helia and Andy groaned. "Again?"

"Why not? She has to give in one day."

"You proposed only two days ago. Shouldn't you give it a bit of time?"

"Time, huh? And end up like you, waiting for the right time for the last two years?" Jake raised his brow. "I want to marry Musa as soon as possible. I don't know what's holding her back?"

* * *

><p>An owl circled the air above the high treetops of the forest. Hooting loudly enough to drown out the sound of the violent rustling of the trees. Jake's eyes followed it as it dipped and dove through the protruding branches, and finally came to rest in a hollow of a thick one. He was thinking of the right words to say while Musa was hurriedly walking towards the lake with a fair idea of what Jake was bringing her there for. She didn't particularly like the musk of the trees so it gave her more of a reason to quicken her steps. The wind's strength hadn't decreased when she came to a halt by the shore of the lake. It carried on whipping her hair in all directions till Jake arrived at her side, and then magically stopped. Leaving the couple in silence.<p>

Jake took a moment to brush her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. She couldn't form even the smallest smile, only because she was annoyed at Jake about all the proposals she'd heard for the last three months. A month earlier she'd begged him to stop but it was obvious that he'd ignored her. She didn't understand why he couldn't understand that no meant no.

Jake tugged on her hands and brought her closer to the lapping water. Then he got down on one knee just like Musa had predicted and took out a small velvet box, one which had been with him for the last three months every time they went anywhere together. Musa had always noticed it since it formed a nice lump in all of his pockets. A formidable feeling always enveloped her whenever he got ready to propose. And she hated it. She turned her neck to the side and set her gaze on the lily pads afloat on the glistening water, bobbing up and down on the gentle waves.

"Musa, will you-?"

"No," she interrupted, turning back to face Jake. "No," she repeated more calmly, this time shaking her head side to side. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, back towards the twisted path amidst the forest.

"Musa!" Jake called as he chased after her. She didn't quicken her steps; she just sighed as Jake caught up to her and pulled her arm to turn her around. He stared at her in silence, almost as if he was trying hard to keep his anger at bay. "Look at me," he commanded and lifted her chin up. "Why? Can you tell me this time without twisting the story? Without getting angry and shouting at me?"

Her eyes still weren't looking at his. They were set on the dark looking water behind him. "No," she replied without much thought.

Jake brought both his hands from resting on her arm and chin to her shoulders. He dipped his head down so he could look her eye. "I want an answer."

Musa shut her eyelids and breathed out. "I can't give you one."

"Why?"

"I just can't."

Jake let go of his grip and walked towards the lake. "You know I'm never going to give up till I know. I want a proper answer. Not something that just brushes the topic away." He turned around and gazed at her from a distance. "Why won't you tell me?! What is it that's stopping you?"

Musa tightened her fist at his raised tone.

"So now you're just going to be silent? Just like you _always _get when I press you for more! You can't always have it your way. You have to tell me! That's how a relationship works."

"Just stop!" Musa shouted. "I don't want another argument…"

"I'm not arguing with you!" Jake exclaimed. It wasn't hard to see that he was annoyed.

"Yes you are!" Musa cried back, blinking at her tears that had formed due to her frustration and struggling. She had always hated it when Jake asked her for clear reasons. His questions had become harder to dodge recently, before it was easy to walk away or change the subject. Now it seemed like he was determined to get the truth at any cost. It wasn't as if _he_ was scaring her, but she was getting scared. And that of no one other than herself.

She was scared of delving into her past. Of the truth.

She didn't want to tell Jake about Riven and the hope she still had left for him. She didn't want to explain what she knew about her destiny. And that her belief in it was what wasn't allowing her to marry him. She didn't want him to know that she was pained everyday at losing the one person that had meant everything to her. Still meant everything to her. If he knew, he'd hate her. She'd hate herself. But not for the same reasons Jake would, but because of the agony she would awaken and put herself into. The agony that her taken her years to forget. She would not revive it. But it was already seeping through her...it was too late.

Jake walked towards his girlfriend slowly and gathered her into a hug. She sobbed into the crook of his neck as he squeezed her tenderly. She didn't cry for long but let out everything in her tumbling tears. The hurt, the sorrow. The silent apologies to Jake for being the way she was. Everything.

By the time Musa's tears ceased, she felt uplifted. Free in a way. Just like she had done when riding on the Jet Ski with someone she did not want to speak of. She straightened herself and then backed up a little.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time.

A smile painted both of their faces as they looked at each other. Jake let out a quiet laugh while Musa tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. He approached her after that and pulled her into him. Then she finally met his gaze. His crystal like green eyes bore into hers. They no longer possessed that needy desperation to find out reasons, only warmth. Musa's heart fluttered as Jake brought her head nearer and pecked her on the forehead. Wanting to feel the enticing warmth of his lips again, Musa hooked her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his. When she parted from the kiss, her face was smouldering and she had no doubt that it gone red. But Jake wasn't going to notice since he was busy planting kisses on the crook of her neck all the way to her shoulder. She hadn't been kissed like that for…two years.

The sensation he was leaving behind was like a key, unlocking the memories that she'd buried away. She _needed _more but at the same time knew it was bad for her. Reluctantly she pushed Jake away and then gathered herself.

His hands were still holding onto her waist when he smiled down at her and said, "I love you."

Musa felt her heart flutter again. Jake had spoken in such a whisper that it had reminded Musa of the first time she'd been told that and in the exact same tone. She closed her eyes for a brief second and saw a vision of herself descending with strong arms around her. Then she heard the faintly whispered words again. Even the wind imitated Riven's gentle breath when he'd spoken those three words as it brushed past her ear.

"I love you too," she said in a daze.

Jake's lips crashing down on hers brought her back to reality. She responded a second later but felt a pinprick of pain as her lips moved against his. She felt guilty. The words she'd spoken weren't intended as a reply to Jake, but a reply for the person in her vision.

As Jake pulled back, Musa felt more of the pain flowing through her. The agony she was in was bad enough but the pain from her memories slowly digging their way out was too much. She knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to handle it again. Not after so long.

Luckily, Jake snapped her out of her trance. "You love me Musa. You just told me that you did. Then why won't you marry me?" he asked gently. "I know you're ready but I also know you're running away from this. I don't know why exactly but whatever it is, we can deal with it together. If you're scared, you don't have to be. I'm here with you. Nothing's going to change when we get married. I'll be the same and you'll be the same. It's not going to change anything, Musa. Believe me."

"If it's not going to change anything, then why does it matter? We're already together. If it's going to be the same, then why do we _have _to get married?"

Jake paused before replying. "I just want the world to know that we're together."

"The world can already see that. And who cares what people think?"

"That's not my point."

"Then what is?" Musa asked with annoyance lacing her words. "And don't give me that crap about bonds and being together forever. You don't know what's going to happen in the future. You don't know if we're going to last! It doesn't always work out." Tears pooled in her eyes. "Sometimes you lose the person you care about. You discover their lies and truths. And it just falls apart. You fall apart! Then you're left with painful memories to put away and pasts to forget…"

Jake watched as a tear slid down her cheek. "Are you scared that I'm going to leave you?" he asked hesitantly, cupping her hands in his own. "I'm never going to do that, Musa. I'd never imagine it. I waited so long for you. I was afraid that I'd never have a chance with you after that day when we were in that cave. But look where I am now. Listen to me? If two people are meant to be together, they'll find each other. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith in destiny."

* * *

><p>"Screw destiny," Riven muttered under his breath and in frustration threw his wallet on the glass table before him.<p>

Sky rolled his eyes, probably for the five hundredth time, from the sofa opposite Riven's. He'd become sick of hearing Riven get irritated about not finding Musa's note for the past two years. He hadn't given up and never got tired of searching, which surprised Sky to no end. Never in his course of knowing Riven had he seen his friend so intent on something. Even after he and the rest of his friends had told Riven countless times to let his obstinacy go, not once had he lost his persistence.

The group had been called to Sky's palatial mansion to have lunch, and were sitting in Sky's sophisticated living room, which consisted of white and silver furniture and accents of lime green on the ornaments and cushions. Only Sky had heard Riven mutter to himself, Nabu, Timmy and Brandon had been too busy screaming at the giant flat screen giving orders to the players on the field. Ever since the boys had returned to Eracklyon, their home realm, Sky's newly bought mansion had turned into their second home. So it was no surprise that the three watching the game were sitting sloppily on the edge of the sofa or on the rug with various snacks scattered around them. Their blonde friend glanced at the mess but didn't care since he had several maids that would take care of it. He simply got up from his seat and sat down beside Riven, who held his ever present scowl on his face.

While placing a hand on his friend's shoulder he said, "Look, buddy, I'm going to say it again. Move on." Riven turned to stare at Sky, and watched him sigh. "There are plenty of girls out there. Surely one of them-"

"No one can replace her."

Sky backed down, not willing to take more of a risk and raised his hands in surrender. "You never know, dude," Brandon who had overheard said. He got up from the rug and sat on the edge of Sky's very expensive coffee table, brushing Riven's wallet out of the way.

"You're the last person who should be saying that. You and your replacement for Stella didn't really work out, did you? And you haven't even tried to approach another girl since."

Nabu and Timmy's gazes finally came off the screen and went straight to Riven. "At least he tried to move on, Riven," Timmy spoke softly. Nabu nodded from his side.

Riven just diverted his gaze. "Not everyone's happily married to the girl they want," he stated, silencing Timmy and Nabu, whose relationships had been the few out of the group to grow into something permanent.

Just then, their wives and Bloom walked in from the kitchen where they'd gone to see what had been prepared. "Lunch is ready!" Layla declared once she was within earshot of the boys.

But no one moved. That caused Bloom to furrow her brows and Tecna to start questioning. "Why the dull looks?"

A knowing expression formed on Layla's face when Nabu discretely gestured to Riven. She cleared her throat and stepped up. "You know what you guys need? A break." The guys slowly turned to her with curiosity. "Another one of my clubs is opening tomorrow in Las Velas. It's one of the biggest ones yet. I think we all need a trip and what could be better than a night of clubbing?" She finished with a shimmy and glanced hopefully at her husband's friends.

Nabu rose from his seat. "I'm in. It sounds good."

One after the other the boys nodded then waited for Riven to do the same. He took a few seconds but then rolled his eyes and gave in.

"Alright! It's been a while since we went to one of Layla's clubs!" Bloom said in an excited tone.

Layla had established a thriving night club business during the past two years and had become utterly rich because of it. Nabu worked alongside Timmy who was in charge of the accounts and he and Layla lived a pretty high end life. Thanks to Layla's club, even Timmy lived a high end life with Tecna, who had become a renowned fashion designer in Eracklyon. Her designs sold like hot cakes and no sophisticated woman would be seen without one of Tecna's clutch bags. Bloom didn't do anything nearly as exciting as her friends, she was just a simple interior designer. After returning from Breconize, Brandon had been offered a modelling job by a woman who had basically been eyeing his abs whenever he was shirtless. He wasn't particularly famous but the odd person on the street would recognize him. Riven on the other hand, didn't work at all. He'd just invested in a few businesses with his inheritance he'd suddenly been given due to some long lost cousin and had reaped greatly. He didn't live an easy life as you might have thought since he spent his free time withdrawing money and checking each note for Musa's number, which obviously he'd never found.

"I'll see you guys later," Riven said as he stood to head for the door.

"What about lunch?" Bloom asked.

He didn't give her a response, just walked towards the door. "I'll text you the details?" Layla called, talking about the upcoming trip to her club opening. She didn't get an answer either.

* * *

><p>"He proposed to me again," Musa said as she walked through the door of her apartment she still shared with Stella. Musa didn't have the money to buy a proper house nor had a boyfriend that wanted her to move in so that explained why she still lived there. And even with a large enough trust fund which meant she could easily afford a house, Stella hadn't moved out. The girl loved the place too much, not only because she'd designed most of it but because it held too many memories to leave behind. She would've made Musa stay even if her lyric writing job did pay well.<p>

The blonde's eyes widened when she heard Musa's statement. She appeared from the kitchen, clutching a milkshake and switched off the TV to give her friend the undivided attention she needed. "No way! This is the thirty fourth time now!" Musa nodded in return. "Well, what happened? You didn't say-?"

"No!" Musa interjected in a tone that sounded like she was shocked to know Stella would even think such a thing. A silence crept in after Stella breathed in relief. The two sat fumbling with their fingers until there was a knock on the door. Musa quickly jumped up and went to answer it.

"Hey," Andy greeted. He was still in his suit from Dahlia's party. "I hope I didn't wake you."

Musa snapped out of her little trance, but she couldn't help it, his smile was just so…

"Andy is that you?" Stella called.

Andy smiled became wider at his girlfriend's voice. And as it did, Musa became transfixed again. She knew she shouldn't have been, not after what had happened between them after he'd returned from Breconize.

"Are you going to let me in?" Andy placed his hand on the door knob and pushed the door further open.

"Yes…I'm sorry." Musa flushed as Andy stepped inside. She watched as he walked in, it was just like the way he'd walked out after their argument that had occurred a while after he'd returned from Breconize. She closed the door and exhaled against it.

She could not let herself delve more into her past. She had more to overlook than just the loss of Riven. And that was the loss of Andy. She shook the feeling of regretting not fighting for him away, and decided it was best to go to her room. But just as she had walked past the couple, Andy stopped her. She hated when he did that, especially when he was with Stella, touching her and smiling with her. It was like he was trying to torment her.

Musa forced a smile as she twirled around.

"We were just wondering whether you and Jake would like to join us on a trip. I have two extra tickets."

"Um."

"It's to this really cool club in Las Velas! Andy was lucky enough to get tickets to the grand opening! What do you say? You're in, right?"

"Sure. I'll just go call Jake."

As Musa disappeared towards her room, a smirk spread across Andy's face and it wasn't because Stella was snuggling into him.

* * *

><p><strong>Here you are, a week later than I promised but hey, everyone gets caught up with stuff. <strong>

**And yup, the story's jumped two years down the line. I didn't do that 'cause I wanted to shorten it, it was the plan all along. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**The next chapter will up up whenever it's up. It will be a while 'cause I have school stuff to start even though the holidays are ending...yes, this is how far behind I am with things! So don't expect it soon! **

**For now, what did you make of this chappy?**


	24. Las Velas

**Chapter 24: Las Velas**

The club was quiet when Riven and the rest of his friends stepped in. The flapping of the doors they'd just bombarded was the only sound echoing around the vast space. As his feet led him forward, he craned his neck around Layla's fluffed up hair to take in the interior. To his right was a metal spiral staircase leading up to a circular deck from where the bar on the bottom floor could be seen. Apart from the lights that were embedded at the edge of the platform, the glass floor was bare, looking straight down on the dance floor where the group was now standing.

At either side of Riven two large counters stood and bar tenders were already tossing around cocktail shakers behind them. Both the counters cast a strong fluorescent blue light and were the brightest things by far in the club, only because the rest of it was under the dull glow of some spotlights. The back of the room was so dark that Riven almost didn't see the long curving sofa that took up the far most wall.

Suddenly the piece of furniture turned neon pink and little tables in the centre of each bold curve were made visible. Riven looked over to Layla and realised that it was all her doing seeing as she clutched a black remote and wore a smirk. Another second and click later the floor beneath the group lit up and cycled through all the colours of the rainbow.

Tecna stood fascinated by the technology while Bloom recovered from jumping aside because of the floor. Riven lightly shook his head at her and then realised that all the guys had disappeared and were now standing adjacent to the bar on his left. Just as he was about to walk over, Bloom leapt into his path due to the sudden boom of the music. She grinned sheepishly then swiftly got out of the way and set off towards the staircase. Tecna followed closely behind.

Once they reached the top of the flight of stairs, Bloom hung onto Tecna's arm as the two of them took their first steps on the platform as if they were taking their first steps on thin ice. A minute later they accepted the fact that the floor was made of glass and took in the array of lights on the ceiling that were yet to be switched on. Soon Bloom was banging her palm on the glass floor in order to get Sky's attention. It took a few screams of his name to get him to look up when the banging didn't work.

Sky spluttered out his drink. "Bloom?!"

The rest of the group slowly looked up to where Sky's gaze was set and suppressed their laughter once they laid eyes upon Bloom's ecstatic face and waving hand. She was crouched down, millimetres away from having her nose pressed against the glass and had Tecna standing upright beside her. Timmy's eyes instantly widened as they trailed up Tecna's exposed legs and saw that the underside of her dress was free for everyone to ogle at.

"The glass floor was my idea!" Nabu proudly announced. Timmy flashed him an alarmed look but was unaware that he hadn't noticed Tecna's obvious underwear.

"Tecna! Tecna! Come down here now!"

On the platform above, Tecna furrowed her eyebrows. Holding onto the railing she looked over the edge. "What happened?" she called back, wearing a worried expression. Her dress had slid up her legs when she'd leaned over, leaving more of her exposed and that caused Timmy to heighten his plea. Thankfully she was now running down the metal staircase, her gold heels clinking against each step. "Timmy?" she asked worriedly once at the bottom, glancing at everyone's expression only to find that they were as clueless as she was.

"What is it, Timmy?" Sky asked. Timmy shifted uncomfortably.

"I think I know," Brandon said, pointing up to the platform where Bloom now stood. "You could see Tecna's underwear from up there, just like how you can see Bloom's."

Sky's mouth fell agape. "Bloom! Get down here!" he shouted, covering up Brandon's eyes with his hand. Bloom arrived in next to no time with the same expression that had once been on Tecna's face too. She looked at Sky through the laughing faces of everyone else with concerned eyes.

"I knew it would turn out to be a bad idea," Layla muttered.

"At least it looks cool." Nabu got sent a glare from wife.

"You guys enjoy yourselves. We have to do the final inspection."

"_We?_" Nabu asked but then decided to silently go along after receiving another deathly glare.

Soon he was walking alongside Layla and the two were bickering as usual and not really checking everything like they should've been. After a round of the area, the two came back looking as normal as ever, no signs of their argument remaining. Layla then gestured for the group to follow her through the back exit from where they walked for a few minutes till they arrived next to a sleek black limo.

"This"–Layla patted the roof of the limo–"is what we're going to be riding in. But just to the front of the building. Then we'll get out and walk down the red carpet to cut the ribbon."

Bloom let out an excited squeal but Tecna didn't look impressed. She'd been in far too many limos to care anymore. She opened the door and chucked her 'Tecna' clutch bag inside before stepping in. Bloom and Layla did the same with theirs and joined Tecna, who had already picked up a bowl of crisps and was munching away.

Riven was the last to get inside and ended up having to squeeze in between Sky and Nabu, and even then had half his leg on top of his blonde friend's. Despite being cramped he found the time to shift his attention to the interior of the limousine. It was bright unlike the club, with plush leather seats in a dark midnight hue and a thin strip of fluorescent lighting lining the edge of the ceiling above his head. There was an expensive looking stereo at the front of the limo where the driver was cut off playing a soothing tune, not that anyone could hear it due to the loud chatter they were engrossed in. Aside from that, there were two fat tubes that were fish tanks either side of the curved seat and a few bowls of snacks dotted around. Five minutes later, after Layla had gotten a text from a member of the paparazzi, she told the driver to proceed through a black microphone.

The drive was incredibly short and soon the limo had pulled up directly in front of the red carpet leading to the entrance of the club. On either side, held back by gold barriers, a massive group of paparazzi poised with cameras stood in front of an equally excited crowd of ordinary people. Layla cleared her throat and then edged towards the door. It was soon pulled open by the greying driver and she stepped out. She was met by a huge uproar from the crowd and at least thirty cameras flashing.

Already used to the attention of the cameras, Layla smiled and waved, causing the crowd to cheer louder. Nabu was at her side shortly and the two of them posed for a couple of seconds then headed forward to a tall man who was present for the interview. Layla was more than happy to say a few words and in the mean time, the boys stepped out of the limousine and were walking down the red carpet accompanied by several wolf whistles that had recently sounded.

The four of them were half way down the carpet when the two remaining girls advanced. The crowd had been considerably quiet but as soon as they saw Tecna, gasps relayed among them and hooting commenced yet again. The pink haired girl failed to hide her smile and was obliged to blow kisses and wave at her fans. Bloom had been confused by the uproar upon her descend and had even checked her short purple dress in case it'd been exposing her. But she'd then realised that the yelling was for her friend. She giggled while walking until she arrived next to the group who were waiting for Layla to finish her interview. Nabu had to nudge his wife a little before she finally grabbed the scissors on the silver plate that one of the bar tenders was carrying.

"I now officially declare my seventh club…open!" She cut the red ribbon in half with one clean snip and then clasped her hands in front of her teal and white sequined dress.

The members of the crowd that possessed tickets quickly barged past the paparazzi and followed Nabu and his group inside. Layla smiled contently when she heard the many gasps from her clients but never stopped welcoming the remaining ticket holders inside. Within a few minutes everyone was inside so Layla turned on her heel to join them – after shooing away the paparazzi, of course.

The club was ablaze and literally bouncing up and down when she came through the double doors. She'd forgotten what the atmosphere could be like since she hadn't visited one of her clubs in so long. A small group of dancers gestured Layla to join them as if she was one their friends upon seeing her standing. With her hands up in the air and her hips swaying she danced up to them but didn't stay, instead wriggled through the crowd on the dance floor till she reached the curvy sofa. Fanning herself with her hand, she walked over to her friends who were lounging with drinks in front of them.

"You guys having fun or what?!" she shouted over the loud music.

"What," Riven answered.

With a sigh and an eye roll, Layla plopped down next to him. "Oh, come on. You agreed to come."

"But he never agreed to have fun." Layla gave her husband a 'that-did-not-help' look.

When she turned back to Riven he was wearing an amused smirk. "So you are having fun!"

"Actually, I was smirking at what Nabu said."

"It counts."

"Not really."

"Nabu!"

"Okay…" Nabu exhaled and then grabbed Brandon and Riven's wrists. "Get up. You can't stay heartbroken forever. Look at Sky, he's got Bloom yet he's still checking out other girls. You guys don't have girlfriends and you aren't doing that. There's a whole _glass _deck of girls to stare at."

Layla's eyes were wide. "That's _not _what I meant!"

"I'm joking." Nabu laughed, pulling his friends onto their feet. "Go get some drinks. Loosen up." He pushed the two of them towards the nearest bar, and then tried to divert his eyes from Layla but she'd walked right up to him with her hands on her hips. "You need to loosen up as well," he said in a whisper, pulling her into him.

Layla took her hands off her hips and hooked them around Nabu's neck. Before she could respond, his lips came down on hers. When he pulled away she snuggled into his chest and sighed. "I just want them to move on. They've haven't enjoyed themselves in so long, you know. You wouldn't think guys like them would be so torn up about losing a girl. I feel bad for them."

"Do we have to talk about them? I'm trying to have a moment with my wife."

Layla gave Nabu a small smile then planted her lips on his. His arms circled her waist in response and he pulled her closer. "That's better."

* * *

><p>"Las Velas," the robotic voice of the announcer droned. Immediately all the passengers on the train began to gather their things and fold away newspapers. All her friends around her were doing the same but Musa sat numbly in her seat, arms perched over her bag. Stella had to call to her when the doors opened to get her move.<p>

"Are you okay?" she asked in a whisper as they stepped off the train, arms looped around each others.

Musa merely nodded. Her eyes were on the ground as they went through the exit of the darkened train station. She did not want to be here. She would've given anything to be lying in bed with her blanket and many pillows surrounding her. Yet here she was being helped into a taxi by Jake to go to some club she'd never heard of. They hadn't spoken for the entire journey. And the truth was: she had nothing to say to him or to Andy and Stella for that matter.

_Fun_. That was the word Andy had used several times in the morning after he'd walked through the door of her apartment as if it were his own. Musa had decided that she hated the word. Terrible, painful, boring – those were better descriptions of what the trip had been like. That's all she'd thought of it so far. The urge to jump out of the taxi and catch the next train home was growing inside of her. She really did not want to be here.

"I've heard that the margaritas of this place are good."

"Apparently there's a glass deck as the second floor!"

"Do you think my nails are clashing my dress, Musa?" A pause. "Musa? Musa! Hello? Musa?"

She looked up at her friend with dull eyes like she'd just woken up from a deep sleep.

"Yes or no?"

"What was the question?"

Stella sighed overdramatically, drawing the attention of the two boys towards them. The tone in her sigh had sounded annoyed but then Musa saw her friend's expression soften. "Are you sure you're okay? You can tell me."

"Musa?" Jake was looking directly at her with concern.

Musa's hand cupped Stella's and she squeezed it. It was her silent way of saying not to press her. Just then Andy's hand came to rest on her knee and she instinctively jerked her leg away at his touch. "I'm fine," she said quickly, brushing the topic away. "What were you saying about the-uh-margaritas, Jake?"

While Jake was explaining the rumour he'd heard, Stella exchanged glances with Andy. For the rest of the fifteen minutes of the drive, Musa pretended to be interested in what the three of them were saying, nodding and smiling whenever necessary. When they arrived and stepped outside, she puffed away the façade she'd put on. Without waiting, she started towards the entrance where two employees in formal black waistcoats stood. The rest of her group were behind her and that made it look as if she was excited to get inside. Though in reality her expression had returned to the bleak look she'd possessed earlier.

She was about four meters away from the door when Jake called out her name. The next thing she heard were the sounds of his shoes bringing him nearer to her. There was that formidable feeling again. It swirled at the pit of her stomach when she stopped, unwillingly, to let him catch up. When she felt him behind her, she didn't whip her head around but waited for him to step in front of her. He did so and presented her with her bag. She was unchanged at seeing the shiny black clutch between his fingers and thumb.

"You forgot it," he said. There was no thank you when she took it out of his grip and encased it in her own.

Just as she was about to resume walking, he wrapped his arm around the bodice of the little black dress Stella had insisted she wear. Musa was positive he could feel her stomach swirling. She was also positive that he could sense how uncomfortable she was. But when he didn't say anything she doubted it. Jake was presenting his ticket and Musa's to one of the employees when Stella dragged Musa aside. Musa saw that her friend needed to talk to her and she knew what she was going to ask.

"Musa, aren't you coming?" Jake had turned around.

Before she had a chance to make an excuse to stay with Stella, Andy appeared from behind her and draped his arm around Jake's shoulders. "Let them talk." His tone was cool. "We'll meet them in there. Come on, let's go get some margaritas."

Jake shrugged in agreement and then waited for Andy to finish handing a pair of tickets to Stella. Musa stepped back a little to give them some space while they talked about where they would meet and something else which was inaudible. Then they kissed. At that, Musa shut her eyes. No. It would be better to say that her mind shut her eyes. The last thing she remembered seeing was Andy inching closer to her friend's glossy lips which had been pouted. Then there had been just black. Along with a strange feeling. Unexplainable but something along the lines of a spark or pang, lasting only milliseconds. She was rattled, essentially scared at her own reaction. She knew that she didn't like it when the two of them got intimate but she'd never expected herself to go that far to not be able to look at them. Now worried seemed like a better way to describe the way she felt.

The next thing she knew, she'd been dragged to the side of the building by Stella, away from the eyes of the employees who had showed no hesitation in eyeing their outfits. The blonde was now standing before her, arms crossed over her chest. The area was dark, concealed by the large shadow of the abstract roof. A thin black gutter ran down the wall, opening out to a wrought iron drain below Musa's red high heels. Two large green bins stood a few meters behind Stella, illuminated by the street lamp across the bend on which the club stood. They reeked of the mildew growing behind them. Apart from a few pieces of rubbish scattered on the ground beside the bins, there was nothing more.

Stella cleared her throat but when no response came from her dazed friend, she spelled it out. "I know you're not okay. We're alone now so you can tell me. What's the matter?" The question Musa had expected tumbled out of Stella's mouth.

"Nothing."

"Musa. I might be blonde but I'm not stupid! I can see you're not alright."

Musa closed her eyelids, squeezing them. She didn't know what to say. Nothing she could think of would suffice. And she couldn't put the real reason into words. "I'm not. Okay? I just-I don't know. I don't want to be here. I don't feel well. I feel sick."

Stella's brows were furrowed with sympathy. "You didn't have to come. You could've said no to Andy." Her palm was resting on Musa's pale shoulder. "And why didn't you tell me you were ill? I could've made you soup."

Musa shook her head. "I'm not ill. I just feel sick."

"Well, what the reason behind it?"

"I-I don't know."

"Then you better think of a reason 'cause I'm going to stand right here till you tell me. And you might want to hurry up 'cause I really want to dance." Stella waited a little but Musa hadn't even opened her mouth. "Isn't your guilt kicking in?"

"I'm scared," Musa answered slowly, trying not to tell her friend the whole truth but trying not to lie at the same time.

"Scared? Why?"

"I'm scared that…Jake's going to propose. Again."

With a tiny, realisation filled, gasp, the blonde embraced Musa, stroking her straightened dark hair that looked blacker than the shadow over them. Stella could never understand what Musa felt like all thirty four times she'd been proposed to, but her imagination gave her a fair idea.

"Now you know." Musa's voice was quiet. "So you can go dance. I think I might stay here a while."

"And do what? Admire the gorgeous bins?!"

Musa dismissed her friend's sarcastic comment. "I need some air. I told you I was feeling sick."

"Darling, listen to me. You can't let Jake stop you from doing things. I get that it's annoying, probably more than that for you. But you're really going to feel sick because of him? You've handled so many proposals; I know you can handle another one. And just look at this place! You can hear the music from out here! Isn't it a bit too loud to get on one knee and ask someone to marry you? And if he wants you to come outside with him, you can make any old excuse and get away with it! Come on?" Stella held the side of Musa's arm.

It was no hiding matter that Musa had seen Stella's point. But it was still unnerving. She couldn't remember the last time she'd set foot in a club.

"You're meant to be having fun! You're not going to find a better opportunity of letting go of everything."

She didn't agree with that. Clubbing wasn't Musa's answer to forgetting the world. She'd had other experiences. Experiences which had left her feeling completely free. Experiences that she'd encountered in Breconize…No. She would not delve into those memories again.

She needed a distraction and fast.

"I thought you said you wanted to dance? What are you waiting for?!" Musa grabbed Stella's arm and began dragging her towards the club's entrance. She tried her very best to sustain the smile she'd glued onto her lips.

"Come on!" Stella beckoned Musa to join her on the dance floor.

The blonde was gently wiggling her hips to the beat and clapped her hands along with everybody else, rattling her chunky silver bracelets which matched her outfit. The dress she wore ended a little way down her thigh, it looked strapless but there was a piece of net covering her upper chest, ending at her collar bone. Unlike Musa's, her dress shimmered in the light. When she realised her friend hadn't moved, she danced up to Musa, threw her clutch to the side and dragged her onto the dance floor even though Musa's gaze was following her bag.

"Dance! I know how good you are. I saw you at that casino in Breconize!"

Musa only heard the last word. Breconize. That place held so many memories. Some good, some bad. She'd just shut away a flood of them after Jake had proposed, but now they were threatening to burst out again. Her head swam. She had to distract herself. She ran to the nearest bar and gulped down two orange cocktails with olives floating on top of them. Luckily the drinks were on the house because it was the opening; otherwise she would've been in trouble since she had no idea where her bag had landed. The drinks must have been strong; she could feel herself go dizzy. Though only for a couple of seconds.

"You okay?" Stella asked in a loud voice.

Musa nodded. "Those cured my sickness." She pointed to the two empty glasses. "Let's go dance! Up there!" she added when she saw the glass deck Andy had mentioned in the taxi. Holding Stella's hand she made her way to the top. It was strange to find less light up there considering the lights were directly overhead. The crowd dancing didn't seem to mind, some might have even been grateful that no one could see their clumsy moves. The metal railing vibrated every time the crowd landed on their feet after jumping. The spaces between each vertical bar were so big that if someone fell, they were sure to end up on the first floor. Probably with a broken arm, or leg, or both. The girls pushed past the horde of people into the middle just to be on the safe side. That's where Musa had found a spot and had blended into the other dancers in no time.

* * *

><p>Riven was at the pool table, playing against Brandon. They had found the green coloured table tucked away out of sight behind the bar. He knew playing pool did not count as loosening up but that's all he and Brandon had felt like doing. It was better than sitting on the neon sofa which was now occupied with lip locked couples. It was currently Riven's turn. He stood with his eyes narrowed, holding the cue at the top, incredibly focused. He then bent down and positioned his cue at the white ball. "Yes!" he hissed when the yellow ball he'd been aiming at rolled into the pocket.<p>

"Don't get too excited, Riven. The game's not over." Brandon brushed past him and paced around the table. Riven snorted, knowing very well that it would be hard for Brandon to catch up to his score.

The area in which the two boys were playing was desolate. There was no one there apart from them. They could just about make out the people sitting on the end of the neon sofa but that was all. Riven liked it that way. It was peaceful. You couldn't have said they were in a club if it hadn't been for the very soft music. Brandon rubbed blue chalk over the tip of his cue and then played. It carried on like that for some time till at last Riven won. The only thing he did to celebrate his victory was smirk.

"I was so close." Brandon frowned, feeling disappointed.

"No one can beat the Rivenator."

Brandon rolled his eyes. Though, he wasn't surprised to see Riven being cocky about his win.

"Go find me a worthy opponent."

"Will I do?"

The two boys turned around and saw Timmy. He barely looked like himself. He'd taken Sky's advice from when they were at the beach in Breconize and now wore contact lenses more often. Without his glasses he looked so much less like the nerd he was. He wore baggy blue jeans tucked into a pair of black boots, and a loose white shirt. He approached them, taking Riven's silence as an agreement and grabbed the cue Brandon was holding. Riven nodded once at Timmy and then began helping him set up the balls.

They had gotten a little way through the game and a small crowd had gathered around them. Brandon had heard murmurs of bets among the onlookers and couldn't help but smirk. He himself was unsure of who was going to win. Timmy was winning but he knew how good a player Riven was.

"What's going on here?" Tecna appeared from within the crowd with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Shh." Brandon put a finger to his lips and turned to her. "It's Timmy's turn. Don't you want him to win?" After watching her husband successfully pot a ball even Tecna, who loathed any sort of sport, was mesmerised like the crowd were.

Meanwhile, Andy had pulled Stella to the now empty neon sofa. She was confused when he sat her down. "Andy?" she said, surprised to be able to hear her voice clearly for the first time that night.

"You look worried. Don't be. I just wanted to ask if Musa was okay."

"Oh." How could she have forgotten that it was Andy who'd asked her to pull Musa aside earlier that night? "She's fine. She just said she was feeling sick."

"Sick?" Andy asked, suspicion clouding his eyes. He wasn't suspicious of Stella but of Musa. He was sure that she had been lying and he wasn't totally wrong.

"Yeah. When I asked why, she told me that she was scared of Jake proposing to her again."

Andy's face showed no expression. "Anything else?"

"No." Stella watched Andy's eyes narrow and continued watching as he turned his head to his shoulder as if in deep thought. She knew something was wrong. But this wasn't the time to ask. "Um. I'm going to dance." With that, she stood up and headed towards the dance floor.

She was still in thought when she made it to the centre of the raving crowd. The body of people had started to grow as soon as she'd stood up but she hadn't noticed. Though now she was getting more and more squashed right in the centre of them. She stood on her tip toes and tried to get a glimpse of where they were coming from. A secluded area at the far right, behind the bar. With curiosity getting the better of her, she wrestled out of the crowd and walked over. Her head cornered the wall separating the club and the area first. Her eyes widened when she found a fairly large space with a pool table in the centre. The place was dark, the only light being the one built into the ceiling over the table. She saw someone standing, facing the table. There was no one else in the space apart from him. He wore an outfit Stella very much approved of, a pair of black trousers and a short sleeved white shirt. She could clearly the see the bulge of his muscles due to it. It reminded her of someone. She traced his outline with her caramel coloured eyes till she reached his hair. Brown and perfectly styled. She knew who it was; she remembered having her hands tangled up in the strands.

Her breath had got caught in her throat causing what she wanted to say become harder than it already was. "Brandon?" she choked out.

Musa was literally being thrown side to side by all the other dancers. And it didn't help that she had a cramp at the side of stomach. Clutching it, she limped over to a stool in front of the bar where she breathed through her teeth in pain, doubling over.

That's when she saw it.

The tip of a spike of magenta hair. Instantly, all the pain she felt dissolved. She straightened up and walked forwards, not once losing the sight of what her eyes were intensely set on. Her heart was beating fast. Even though the blaring music surrounded her, she couldn't hear a thing. It was as serene as the ocean as she focused on the spike of hair. Her breathing became shallow and slow. Her throat went dry. Her hands started trembling like mad.

Could it be what she so badly yearned to see?

The hope was rising in her being. It was taking over her. She was just about to tear through the crowd towards the spike of hair when reality stopped her. Forcing her back like a gust of wind. Anyone could have had spiked hair. She had to stomach that fact. And was colour she saw actually magenta? It could've been black, brown, blue. Anything. It was impossible to tell in the club's lighting.

She inched back. Why would _he _be in a club in Las Velas? He could've been anywhere for all she knew. Who was she to go charging up to him anyway? If it was him that is. _She_ was the one who'd abandoned him. _She_ was the one who'd left them with practically impossible odds of being together again. _She_ was the one who'd gotten hurt and forgotten it all.

She'd even moved on…hadn't she?


	25. Yes

**Chapter 25: Yes**

Musa's eyes were still focused on the bit of hair poking out from the large crowd on the dance floor, six meters away from where she stood. She couldn't see who the person was, there were too many people surrounding him, covering up his face and body. But it didn't matter. She didn't want to know, not anymore. She couldn't win in this situation. Either she would see him and be torn apart or would see someone else and die along with her hope. So she continued retreating backwards but her curiosity was pushing her towards him like a gust of wind. Now she was rooted to her spot, still watching the spike that she'd never removed her gaze from. It was killing her just standing there. Her eyes were brimming with tears. What would happen if it was him? Would he wish to talk to her? Would he still want her? Would he even remember her?

She didn't want to find out.

Somehow she ripped her eyes away and turned her head so that her gaze was now on the changing floor. It had been her decision to walk away and leave it to destiny. She had to stand by it. If they were meant to be together, they would find the notes. And as far as she knew, she hadn't found his so maybe it meant that he wasn't the one for her. He obviously hadn't found hers either or maybe he had and just hadn't called her. Maybe he didn't care. With that painful thought in mind, Musa walked towards the exit. Stopping on the way at the pile of bags, she dug around for her clutch and then carried on towards the door. One of the door men opened it for her as she wiped away her tear before it had a chance to fall.

It was cool outside. Though it wasn't a surprise since she'd been the hot, stuffy club for four hours. The harsh midnight wind hit her hard against her arms and there was no one to offer her their jacket. The half moon hung low in the sky and shivering, Musa walked under its weak light. There were no taxis around so she had to walk to the train station even though she had no idea where it was. But the real problem was that she was ignoring the signs and just allowing her feet to take her anywhere. She was absorbed in thought. Lost. Her hands were clamped tightly around her arms as she went over the questions she'd been consumed in at the club. All of which were about Riven, killing her to even think about them. She hated herself for going back there but it was what she'd seen that triggered this thinking, this cruel thinking about _him. _Only occasionally would she delve into his thoughts, when she was alone at night with an ache present in her heart. It was different this time. This time she'd been forced to think about him. That stupid bit of hair she'd seen was the culprit. Before she'd seen it, she had been having a half decent time. But now it was as if she hadn't been there at all.

A loud blare of a car horn brought her back to life. She snapped her neck to the right just in time to see the car and ran out the way. "Watch where you're going!" the driver yelled and then continued to swear under his breath as he drove away.

Musa wasn't fazed at all. To her it didn't seem like she'd just escaped a serious injury. She was too numb to register anything. But at least awake to stop and sort out where she was going. Strolling over to a sign post she glanced over the green signs and headed in the direction of the station. It wasn't a long walk since by some miracle she'd been walking down the right path, and so was there in a matter of minutes. The place looked abandoned. The windows of the clerks had their shutters down, most of the lights had been switched off and there was a train standing still under an iron roof. Musa walked unhurriedly to the train schedule, hoping that there would be a train to take her home. There was and it was coming in a few minutes. For the first time since she'd left the club she smiled. It was a small smile, barely tugging the corner of her lips up, but it was something.

She had just taken a seat on the cold metal bench facing the tracks when she felt a pair of eyes staring at her. Nervously and slowly she turned her head and found a man appearing from the shadows within the station's shop. He had a stubbly beard, drowsy grey eyes and was chewing a piece of gum with a smirk, which grew upon seeing Musa's unnerved expression.

"Hey," he spoke with a flirty hint in his tone. Musa immediately turned away and decided to ignore him. "What's up?" the man continued to ask.

By now Musa was biting her bottom lip, wishing for the train to hurry up. Maybe rushing out the club alone wasn't a good idea. And it wasn't like someone was going appear out the blue to save her. She wished someone would, a certain someone.

"You look cold."

The hinges of a door creaking could be heard. This guy was coming over to Musa and that fact didn't fail to dismay her. Luckily along with his footsteps the soft chugging of the train could also be heard. Relief washed over the blue haired girl and she stood, ignoring the man completely. But he was still walking over. She swallowed and tried not to show her fear by fidgeting, but it was clear that he sensed her vulnerability. She needed a saviour.

"Hey!" a voice behind her boomed threateningly then softened into a familiar one she could recognize anywhere as it said, "There you are."

For a brief second something in Musa had hoped that the source of the voice was Riven. That he'd magically appeared to save her and to tell her that everything would be okay. That's what she needed to hear. She also needed to feel the warmth of his arms surrounding her body and his lips softly kissing her neck. She got those things. But from Jake. Nothing about his tone was gentle or calming, he was frenzied and scolding her for running off. The next thing she knew, she was safely aboard the train with her annoying boyfriend, who was still asking her questions that weren't going to be answered. Not when her mind was consumed with the thought of Riven and a million scenarios starting with 'what if?'

* * *

><p>"Stella?" Brandon's eyes widened in shock when his eyes fell on his ex-girlfriend. She looked so sultry in her hugging metallic dress, he couldn't help but gape.<p>

"Hi," Stella breathed in reply. She felt her nerves. It had been over two years since she'd seen him. And their current meeting was an utter coincidence and she was shocked. She almost wished she hadn't come across him; he brought back memories, ones she didn't want to hold onto. After leaving Brandon she'd acquired Andy, whom she'd always wanted but then why did she feel regret? Was it that she still liked Brandon and those gorgeous soft brown eyes of his that were drilling into her?

Brandon was too stunned to say anything back, all he could manage was a nod. He watched as Stella hesitantly approached him and stopped near enough for him to smell her vanilla fragrance. "How have you been?" he asked finally after the silence became too heavy on his shoulders.

"Um. Good. W-what about you?"

"Yeah. Good." He mentally kicked himself for not saying what he felt. But he didn't want to scare her off. After all, she'd probably moved on and considered him nothing more than somebody she knew. He was to blame for that fact. He was the one who hadn't fought for her, he'd simply let her go. There hadn't been any fixing or goodbyes, it had just ended, almost too abruptly.

Stella was playing with the bottom of her dress. The air around them was awkward; she could feel the awkwardness crawling on her skin. Neither of them looked like they were going to say anything. The truth was they had nothing to say. How would they pick up from where they'd left off? Was it even right to bring up the past? They just stared at each other, mentally reminiscing all the times they'd spent together. Somehow it didn't feel like it had been two years since those times. But the reality of it was harsh and made something in their hearts twinge. Though the fondness of their memories cancelled out the ache. Their eyes were placid as identical smiles adorned their faces. Brandon's were the first to change. They brightened up upon witnessing Stella's warm beam and unintentionally he reached out. The blonde's eyelids closed as she felt Brandon's feather light touch. His thumb gentle grazed her rosy cheek and her smile became larger and larger. She felt like she'd be thrown back in time. It was like she was experiencing everything as if she was actually there. She felt the warmth in her heart when she had been happy, she felt the adrenaline rush when she had been nervous, and she felt the pain when she had been livid.

A giggle escaped her lips and her eyes fluttered open. Brandon hadn't moved his gaze but his visage was hard as if he was concentrating on something. He was battling with his inner self and it was winning. It forced his face forwards towards her. Her lips in particular. But just in the nick of time, Brandon fought back and stopped his inner desire and laid his forehead against hers instead.

"It's been a long time."

Stella swallowed back the lump in her throat. It _had_ been a long time, and so much had changed. And now he was so close and she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him and plant her lips on his. But she couldn't and that's why she wanted to cry out. She'd realised something was missing in her life. It was the romance, the passion, the thirst. None of which she felt strongly for Andy but for this man before her.

"I missed you, Brandon," she whispered with tears forming in her eyes.

He put a finger to her lips. "Tell me everything that's happened?"

"It's changed. So much has. Musa's with Jake, a bass player from some band. He keeps proposing to her but she refuses every time. Flora and Helia have a daughter and Helia can't find the guts to get down on one knee and propose. And I-"

"Yeah?" Brandon almost wished he hadn't urged her on.

"I'm with Andy," Stella replied softly. Brandon stepped back, causing Stella to close her eyes in regret. She knew it would happen. That was why she'd stopped.

"How are things?" he asked after a pause.

"Good."

Her answer was good enough for him. He didn't want to know the details, those he knew would crush him and it hurt enough knowing she was with someone else.

"What about you? Are you with anyone?" Stella clenched her fist, hoping that he wouldn't say something that would shatter her hope completely. Something like 'I'm married' or 'I'm engaged'.

"No. No one's been worth it."

The blonde's eyes lit up and she allowed a small smile to creep up onto her lips. She wanted him to know that she was relieved. "How about everyone else?"

"They're fine. Timmy and Tecna are married and so are Layla and Nabu. Sky and Bloom are working towards it. Uh-Riven's changed from what he used to be. He hasn't looked at another girl since Musa left him. He didn't want to come here because he was too hung up on her. We had to drag him."

"So he hasn't lost hope?"

"No. And I don't think he ever will."

"Why?"

"He loves her. He's not the same guy who was at Breconize. He's really changed."

Stella let out a rigid breath and then sprinted out of the concealed area with a swift turn. Musa had to know to this. Riven was here in that very club. She knew she had to make them meet. Her friend had had her way for too long now. She had to be returned her happiness.

"Stella!" Brandon called after her but it was too late, she was too far away to hear. He clenched his jaw. He'd lost her again.

Stella was on her tip toes as she scanned the crowded club for her friend and her lover. They had to meet. They just had to. She ran up the stairs to the glass deck to get a better view. But she couldn't spot Musa anywhere or Jake for that matter. "No," she murmured. What if he'd taken her out to propose to her? The blonde knew how much Musa hated his proposals. What if she finally said yes just to stop them? "No!" Stella shut her eyes and thundered down the spiral staircase. Her search had just become even more important than it had been.

Just as she was about to make a dash for the door, a pair of arms pulled her back.

"Let me go!" Stella pleaded, trying her best to push the arms away.

"Stella! What happened?"

"Andy, please! I need to find Musa."

"She left the club a long time ago."

Stella's expression grew tense. "She needs to be here!"

"Why, Stella? Tell me!"

"Riven's here! They need to meet!"

Andy's eyes narrowed in anger. "No. She can't know he's here," he hissed, almost as if the words were meant to be said to himself rather than Stella.

"Why not? Don't you think this has gone on too long? Riven loves her and I know she still loves him! I want her to be happy; I thought you wanted the same?"

Andy didn't speak. The blonde continued becoming worried as he kept on staring at her with his blank expression. Then suddenly, he cracked a smirk. "I don't want the same," he stated bluntly.

The jolt of shock caused her eyes to widen. "Wh-what? Andy-?"

"You heard me. I don't want the same. I don't want her to be happy!"

"What are you saying?!" Stella asked in horror as she stepped out of his loosened grip. Tears had formed in her eyes due to her growing shock. How could Andy say that?

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her outside. They pushed through the chilly air till they reached the place where Stella and Musa had talked. It was the same but with the addition of two smokers, hidden behind the large bins. Stella was scared. She wanted answers. She wanted the old Andy back. This wasn't like him.

"You're acting like you're stupid. How could you not know?!"

Stella's head was reeling. His expectant gaze was making her more confused. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't understand why you don't want Musa to be happy? That's all you've ever told me."

"That's all you've ever believed."

"I thought you cared about her…" the blonde trailed off.

"I have no reason to care about her," Andy's tone was resentful as he stepped forwards. "I loved her and she rejected me! Then by her own will she tried crawling back. How do you think I felt?! I was confused but still hopeful. I thought maybe she regretted her decision but then she made it clear that she was with Riven and that there was nothing between us. Now I'd been rejected twice. So I did what was necessary, I took her away from Breconize, from Riven. Away from the reason of her happiness."

"You-you had that planned?" Stella's words were forced.

"Don't sound surprised. I just wanted her to feel the pain she made me feel."

"But if you loved her, how could you let her be miserable?"

"She'd rejected me twice. I didn't love her anymore. But she didn't fail to confuse me again. When I got back from Breconize and came to see her, she told me that she loved me and that she was sorry about everything that had happened between us. She wanted us to be together. But I said no! I rejected _her_ this time. But she didn't stop. She pleaded and begged and we ended up arguing. I said things intentionally to hurt her and I don't regret them! I wanted her to know what rejection felt like." Andy slowly let out his breath with his eyes closed in anger. "I hope you haven't forgotten that we were together at that point and that Musa knew that but still didn't stop herself."

Stella's lips were ajar. Tears stung in her eyes at realising that Musa hadn't cared about her at all. Come to think of it, had Musa ever cared about her? She hadn't exactly backed away from Andy after she'd admitted how she felt about him and now this? The blonde didn't know whether she was more stunned from finding out what Andy had done to her friend or what her friend had done to her?

"I don't want her to be happy. That's why I want Jake and her to get married because I know she'll be unhappy for the rest of her life if they do."

"So this is your revenge?"

"This is _our_ revenge."

"No." A few of Stella's tears tumbled down her cheeks. "I haven't done anything!"

"But you have. You told her about Riven's truth, you keep accidently bringing up Breconize, and you keep causing her heart to ache every time you're with me. Didn't you see how she acted when we asked her about this trip last night? She deserves this."

"No. No." Stella shook her head. Part of her was still dwelling on the fact that Musa had lied to her about not liking Andy and had even tried to take him away from her. No friend would do that. But then what friend was she, unknowingly causing her friend pain continually for the past two years? She stood in silence, overcome by tears.

"I know you won't say anything." Andy tucked his hands into his pockets. "You won't because you'll lose her if you do. She'll think it was always your intention as well as mine."

Stella trembled. He was right. Musa was sure to think that she'd helped ruin her life. And she hadn't got an alibi to prove that she hadn't. She had no choice but to keep quiet and pretend that this conversation between her and Andy had never taken place. She couldn't lose her best friend to something she hadn't done. She couldn't fall her best friend's eyes. She had absolutely no choice. She _had_ to stay silent.

* * *

><p>A soft bell rang out and the doors of the train slid open. Jake stood up, fixed his jacket and then helped Musa to her feet. She was still withdrawn. Lost in a world that Jake had failed to pull her out of. He'd left her to sit in silence on the train when she hadn't answered any of his questions. But that was the last thing she needed. What she needed was to be drawn out of her world of misery and regret in which she was drowning in. It was only when they'd walked to the entrance of the park when Jake decided to do just that.<p>

"You haven't thanked me for saving you yet." He took his arm away from her waist and moved so he was facing her. "Musa?" he asked with concern when she didn't reply.

Musa blinked slowly and then looked up with an even slower speed. "Huh?"

Jake brushed her hair back with both hands. "You haven't thanked me," he repeated, dropping his head down so he was at eye level with her.

"Thank you."

Upon hearing the words his smile faded. Something was wrong. She usually understood when he was joking but just then she'd seemed clueless. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded and headed into the park. Jake followed her down the sandy path which cut through the grass, leaving equal amounts of it on either side. Apart from the sound of their shoes crunching against the pebbles underfoot, the place was dead. They were the only people around. They walked past the circular flower beds and rustling trees. Past the rows of benches and bike stands till they reached the fountain. Musa sat down on the edge and tilted her head to the side. "You wanted to ask me something?"

Jake sighed. "I did but now I'm not so sure. You never tell me anything."

"Just ask?"

"Okay. What's wrong?" He raised his brows and watched as she wrapped her fingers around the edge of the fountain. Her gaze had shifted to the sparkling water inside of it. That's how he knew she wasn't going to answer. "See."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, it's not okay. I know something's wrong and you won't tell me." He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. It only made Musa feel worse about keeping everything from him. He was being perfect and she was nothing but the opposite.

"Jake-"

"Just this once, Musa, please?" His tone had been desperate.

There was as much care in Jake's eyes as there was guilt in Musa's. She didn't look away like she always did. She didn't start an argument. For how long could she keep running? He was all that she had. He'd always been perfect. He'd always been her protector. He'd saved her from herself. He'd changed her life for the better. He'd given her all happiness he could. He loved her unconditionally and would continue doing so for eternity. She knew that. Jake was her present. He had been her everything when she'd had nothing. He deserved better. And to give him better, she had to change. She had to let go of her past. She had to forget Riven. He'd caused too much damage in her life. She could not let him cause anymore. She couldn't stay stuck in time forever. She had to move on. Break free.

A slight pain spread through her heart. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before she opened them with a clear determination of what she intended to do. She rose to her feet, leaving Jake with furrowed eyebrows.

"Jake. I want you to propose."

Jake was frozen, he might as well have been part of fountain's statues. "What?"

"Get down on one knee and propose. I'm ready."

Without another hesitation he slid onto the ground and looked up at her. She gave him a small smile as he pulled out the velvet box which was inevitably in his pocket. He still couldn't believe it. It felt like a dream. An amazing dream. Too good to be real. He gently tugged on her hand and placed a kiss on it. Then he cleared his throat and flipped open the box.

"Do you want stuff before the question?"

"I think I've heard it too many times before," Musa laughed quietly. "Just ask me."

The darkness of the sky looked pale in comparison to her black dress. Her hair reflected the light of the twinkling stars and moon; she looked magical. Like some sort of angel. Jake took a long second to admire her before fulfilling her request. He sucked in a sharp breath and locked his gaze with hers.

"Musa, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

A huge smile spread across Jake's lips as he took the ring out of its holder and slid it on Musa's finger. It was the moment he'd been waiting for. No. It was the moment he'd been _dying_ for. And now that it had happened, it felt surreal. He rose to his feet as Musa admired the diamond sitting on top of the silver band around her finger. It glistened under the moon's silver light and looked even more dazzling than it already was. At last she tore her eyes away from it and looked straight into Jake's, which held nothing but love for her at that moment. She smiled widely before she wrapped her arms around his neck and let his arms circle her waist. He pulled her closer and kissed her shoulder. She could feel his happiness radiating from his body, and she was glad that she was finally the cause of his delight. From the moon her eyes trailed down to the smaller shining jewel on her finger. She moved her hand about as she examined the ring with a held breath. Then her eyes closed in realisation.

She was engaged.


	26. Desire

**Chapter 26: Desire**

"She was there?" Riven softly whispered, almost struggling to say the words.

He was sitting on Sky's white sofa while his friends stood around him with matching looks of uneasiness. Brandon had just told everyone about his encounter with Stella and had then gone onto tell Riven that Musa had been at the club too. Everyone at first had wondered whether Riven had understood what had been said. He had been expressionless; so oblivious that he could've been mistaken as deaf. But only he knew about the sudden awakening of the turmoil within himself. Only he felt it at the mention of her name. It was a piercing pain like something that had been constantly jabbing him finally breaking through.

He had been so close to her and he hadn't even known it. They had been in the same room. For all he knew, he might have brushed past her shoulder on the dance floor. Might have caught a glimpse of her and not known it. Might have sipped out of one of the drinks on the bar that had been hers. He had been so close. So damn close.

But maybe it had all been fate. Maybe they hadn't reunited because they were never meant to be together. It had been so long. Two years. Surely fate would've brought her note to him by now.

"Riven," Brandon said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder and snapping him out of his lost state. "There's something else."

A torturous sinking feeling encased Riven. He didn't want to hear the worst part. He didn't want to bear it. Even Brandon looked as if he was re-thinking his decision to go on. But he didn't spare Riven the misery and sat down on the glass coffee table in front of his magenta haired friend and met his pained gaze.

"She's with somebody else. Jake."

Upon hearing those words, Riven didn't know whether he felt more angry or helpless. He didn't even know if he felt anything. This shouldn't have been a surprise. Why wouldn't she have moved on within the last two years? He was a fool to think she'd be patiently waiting for their destiny to sort everything out. Of course she'd moved on. She was the one who'd left them with impossible chances of reunion. Of course she didn't want him. Not after everything she'd gone through because of his game.

He clenched his fist. At the memory of Jake it became tighter. Why him of all people? Why _him? _Her reality might have been somewhat tolerable if it wasn't him she was making out with. But he couldn't do anything. He had to tolerate it and bear that unbearable fact.

"Who cares?!" he suddenly snarled.

And as if to add salt to an already stinging wound, Brandon brought forth more of the truth. "He keeps proposing to her. They'll get married soon."

That did it. It was too much. If he stayed a minute longer, who knew what would happen? He had to walk away. So he stood amidst the silence and stormed towards the door, slamming it shut after himself, producing a loud enough noise to make everyone inside wince. The sudden jolt they'd just received matched the one Riven had experienced when Brandon had first brought up Musa. It was abrupt and enough to make the heart skip a beat.

Slowly, Riven let out his breath and withdrew his hand from the now warm door knob. Then he stood still, reflecting on the information he'd been given. It had to mean something. He tried to figure out what as he walked down the cobbled grey path towards the footpath. His mind came to conclusions thinking that this information was for him to do something with. Like find her and fix everything. Maybe? He had to do something – that was for sure. He couldn't just sit there anymore.

No way was he going to let _his _Musa wed someone else.

It was early in the morning. The sun was barely peeping up from behind the many trees along the road. But its warm light was bright enough to liven up Eracklyon's suburbs and set apart the dew from the manicured grass. The suburbs were a peaceful area to live in. The charcoal road was wide, but not as wide as the patches of grass either side of it. It always looked freshly cut, the air even smelt of it. The houses too always looked new, as if they'd just been painted and roofed. The entire atmosphere of the realm was so blithe, the people were so joyous, it was a wonder that the happiness hadn't brushed off onto Riven.

He lived a few houses down the street from Sky, in a house that was envied by most of the others that lived around him. He had everything. A free from work life and enough money to exceed an existence. But he was always so hollow and empty. And the worst part was he knew why. It was because he lacked her. He'd never loved someone so much. She was the only thing he wanted. His plight had become so bad that he felt like he was being driven mad by his desire.

It was enough now.

It was time to get her back. It was time to finally do something and forget destiny. It was time to call Helia.

* * *

><p>"Bye," Musa whispered as she softly shut the door and turned away from her fiancé. They'd just returned from the park after spending more than four hours there. Being with Jake was different for Musa now. She finally felt like she could open up to him and have a conversation or kiss without wondering whether he was going to propose. She didn't need to fear it any longer. It was over. That anxiety filled period of her life was finally over.<p>

Her heels made a soft thudding noise as she crept across her apartment's floor boards. Everything was under a dim light. The sun hadn't risen fully yet. She placed her clutch bag on the kitchen's worktop and then pulled open the window at the far end of the room. A draft of cool air hit her face as she extended her head out. "It's over," she softly said and let her words fly away with the wind.

She felt elated. It'd been too long since she'd felt that way. The last time she'd felt like that was in Breconize. She stiffened as the thought ran across her mind. That was in the past. With her decision to marry Jake, she had to let go of it. She'd chosen to move forward. Nothing – not even the voice in her head – was going to make her change her decision. She had to block out its menacing persuasion. She didn't want to listen to it telling her all the reasons she should pull back. Even if she agreed with them, she would not alter her choice. _Nothing _could make her change her mind.

"What are you doing?" a sleepy voice asked, causing Musa to jump with a start.

She quickly pulled back from the window and turned to face her friend. "Nothing. I was just–"

"Where were you last night? You left the club without telling me."

Musa furrowed her eye brows. It wasn't like Stella to interrogate her.

"Were you with Jake?" Stella continued worriedly, looking as if she'd just discovered something terrible about him.

"Yeah." Musa nodded. "Speaking of Jake, I have to tell you something!" She took her friend's hands and led her to the sofa.

A thousand possibilities were flying through Stella's brain as she sat down next to her friend. Musa looked so eager. It had to be something good. But then why were her instincts telling her something different? Her hands were squeezed tighter as she watched her friend's lips part. It felt like Musa was going to burst out with some good news and that she should scream even before anything registered. Only she couldn't. Upon hearing her friend's announcement, Stella's entire body froze. Her expression looked like she was watching her friend die. But how could she not look like that? All night she'd prayed for the very words that had just come out of Musa's mouth to never enter her ears.

"Musa, I have to tell you something," she said weakly but Musa was too busy smiling.

"Didn't you hear? Jake and I are getting married! I said yes!"

This was not the girl Stella knew. The old Musa would've never been happy about getting married to Jake. She would've never even considered agreeing to his proposal. This was what the blonde had feared. It was all spiralling out of control. Andy was getting his way and that too without lifting a finger.

"Stella?!"

"Why would you do that? Why did you say yes?!" Stella suddenly snapped, springing back into life. She was on her feet, staring at Musa as if she'd committed some sort of crime.

"I asked him to propose!" her friend emphasised, rising to her feet.

Tears pooled in Stella's eyes. "You're insane!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking.

"Stel, what is wrong with you?" Musa demanded, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. She was getting nervous now. The strange behaviour she was witnessing had to have a reason behind it. A reason, judging by her friend's demeanour, which had the power to annihilate her world.

"Musa, I–" Stella broke off to wipe her tears. "You can't. You can't marry him. I have to tell you something!"

"What is it?" Musa asked reluctantly.

Stella paused. She knew what she was going to say would cause her friend great pain. But she had to say it for it was the one thing that was sure to change Musa's decision. "You and Riven are meant to be together! He was at the club!"

Musa's arms dropped back to her sides. The shock which rushed through her body was immense. Numbly she fell onto the sofa. She felt weak all of a sudden. So many things were rushing around her mind. She was so confused. And angry. The information should've been meaningless. It shouldn't have affected her. But it did and in a way that was not fathomable.

"Why – why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to be happy," Stella gently replied as she knelt down. "He was at the club. The same club we went to! Isn't that destiny enough?! Doesn't it mean anything? You two in the same room after two years, on the same day? It can't be a coincidence!"

Tears trickled down Musa's pale cheeks. So it had been him. The spike of hair she'd seen had actually been him. If Stella had known that, she would've surely added that to her speech, saying it was destiny's way of telling her that she belonged to him. Maybe it was true? Their being the same place after so long had to mean something. That happening so soon after she'd decided to move on surely meant something too. Maybe destiny wanted her to stop and realise she was going down the wrong path. It could've been a sign. But she was unsure. This was all too overwhelming, so sudden. Her mind was whirling. All she could do was whimper and slip into tears.

"I met Brandon there," Stella continued. "He told me that Riven hasn't given up on you. He hasn't lost hope. He still loves you. Screw destiny, isn't that enough?!" she asked, almost pleadingly, raising her voice.

Musa's sobs just grew louder and her frame quivered even more. It stopped her friend from saying another word. She simply stood and headed in the direction of her room. She didn't want to leave her friend in her current state but if she stayed Musa would never experience all the pain Riven's absence gave her. And she had to if she was going to change her decision. Just before the blonde was out of earshot, she whipped her head around, casting her sympathetic gaze on Musa's bent over body.

"Don't throw away your happiness. Don't do it just because destiny didn't reunite you the way you wanted."

* * *

><p>Laying his phone on his desk, Riven sighed. He'd missed his best friend. He hadn't realised how much till he'd heard Helia's calm, assuring voice. He was embarrassed to admit it but the surprise and mirth in Helia's tone when he'd spoken had made him smile. He could understand why. It had been so long since they'd talked. But the funny thing was that their conversation hadn't been awkward at all. It was like they'd been friends all throughout the last two years and were just casually speaking to each other. They had even had an odd joke or two and that had made Riven a lot more comfortable with asking a favour from his friend. That's the other thing he'd missed about Helia, the way he would be ready to offer his help without knowing what was being asked of him. It was hard to find a friend like that. Riven was glad he had one because Helia was vital if he was going to get to Musa.<p>

This time, the plan he'd thought of wasn't despicable and unnecessary. It was quite the opposite. It wasn't going to leave her hurt. It would make her happy. That is, if she wanted Riven back. He wasn't sure of that. But he could only assume that she still loved him like the way he loved her. On the other hand, she might have been with Jake because she genuinely liked him. What if he took away her happiness again? Living with himself would be impossible if he did. But he was willing to take the risk.

Riven had had enough of sitting around and playing by her rules. He was going to lessen the impossible odds of reunion and meet her by his own will, not because of destiny. He had had enough of relying on fate to get them back together. It wasn't up to fate to decide whether he would find a way back to her, it was in his hands. And he was finally going to use that power.

Just as he was about to open his laptop, the phone lying beside it rang. It had to buzz for a few seconds till he picked it up.

"We have a problem," Helia panted from his end. "I just found out that Musa and Jake are engaged…" There was only silence from Riven's end of the line. "Riven? Hello?"

He had stiffened. He hadn't expected Brandon's words to come true so soon. Was nothing going to go in his favour? Was he really going to chase a girl who was clearly done with him? He wanted to drop the entire scheme right then and just go meet her. Wasting time waiting for the plan to work wasn't going to be worth it if Musa and Jake got married.

"Riven? Listen. Your plan can still work. She _can _change her decision!" Helia told him.

"I can't wait that long," Riven hissed in anger. "I'm coming to Magix!"

"Riven, don't! Keep calm and think. If you suddenly appear, she'll think you're being selfish and–"

"Helia, who are you talking to?!" a faded shout came from Helia's end. Riven instantly recognized the voice. It was Jake's. The joy in his tone made it clear that he was celebrating – his engagement to Musa obviously.

Riven wasn't surprised that he felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to be in Jake's place. He wanted to have heard Musa say yes to his proposal. He wanted to have her the way Jake was going to have her. This shouldn't have been the other way around. Jake didn't deserve Musa…but neither did he.

"I have to go," Helia said after a while. "Remember to follow through with your part of plan. And _do not _show up here!"

With that, he disconnected and strode back to the party. It had begun with just the group but now a rather large crowd of people had joined. They mingled freely around Musa and Stella's apartment, without having congratulated the engaged couple. And Helia had no doubt that the majority of them didn't know who Musa even was. They had just turned up because Jake had plucked them out of his ever-growing contact list and invited them over.

After grabbing his daughter from the sofa that was now seating more than the ideal number of people, Helia approached one of the few people he knew. "Have you seen Musa?" he asked in a loud voice but the response he got from Andy wasn't of much help. So he continued with his search, battling through the swarm of people in the process. At last he spotted her leaning against the wall next to the television. She looked out of place, not like the focus of the party. The champagne had taken over that role a while back.

Helia was just about to move towards her when her phone beeped, stopping him.

Musa's eyebrows furrowed as the email she'd been sent opened up. Then her confused expression changed into one of surprise. Now her eyebrows sat high on her forehead and her lips parted. Helia could see that her fingers were barely able to move to keep scrolling through the images that were on the screen. Her eyes looked pained; he could see that she was hurting.

Photographs from Breconize, ones of her and Riven, were what she was staring at. They caused her eyes to glisten with tears. Helia hated seeing her in pain, but it was necessary for Riven's plan. Her memories had to be unlocked, her desire unleashed. That was the aim.

Now that Riven had sent the pictures like he was meant to, it was Helia's turn to act and instigate Musa further. "Are you okay?" he asked after he'd walked over to her.

She sucked in a breath before looking up. "Um. I…" Her voice was frail.

She was numb. Out of all the days there were, why did she have to receive these photos now? Why today after she'd made a decision to move on in her life? Why did she have to be reminded of her past on the very day she was meant to be happy for her future? Why the memories of Breconize to add to what Stella had told her? There were so many questions. Nothing made sense anymore. All she wanted were answers. And she could only think of once place to get them. The same place where all this had started.

"I need to do something," she quickly said and moved past Helia.

"Wait. Where are you going?" he asked.

"To Linfea. If anyone asks, I'll be back late."

"But Musa–"

"Don't tell anyone."

After briefly nodding at her friend, she darted out of the apartment. If she caught the first train of the day, the express, she would be there by noon and get her answers without having to wait too long. She needed them. It felt like she couldn't go on. Her confusion had to be cleared and only Aunt Ivy could make that happen because she knew what was yet to come.

Musa was sick of waiting. And she was even sicker of wondering whether what she was doing was right. Her destination was so unclear. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. Her feelings were failing her and she felt like a wreck. It was like a never ending vortex, swallowing her up and leaving her more dead each day.

"A ticket to Linfea please," she told the lady at the ticket booth before fumbling in her pocket for some money.

It wasn't long before Musa arrived in Flora's home realm. The place looked like it had done two years ago. There was the addition of a few trees but nothing major. Like before, Musa used the butterfly bus and was stood before Aunt Ivy's house within a few minutes. She wasn't fazed by the tallness of the tree or the amount of stairs she'd have to climb, her determination to get answers cancelled out the dread.

The first thing she saw when she reached the top of the stairs was Aunt Ivy's round face.

"Nice to see you after so long." The woman smiled, removing Musa's attention from her bright purple hair to her knowing grin.

"I've come for answers."


	27. Cloud of confusion

**Chapter 27: Cloud of confusion**

"Sit." Aunt Ivy beckoned at the small brown stool next to her fortune telling table.

Expressionless, Musa parted the black drapes hanging around the area and sat down. She remembered, almost too clearly, the last time she'd been here. Aunt Ivy's words still echoed in her mind and she still recalled the feel of the tarot cards. Even the rush she'd felt when she'd been blindfolded remained with her. So much had changed since she'd last been here, since she'd sat on the very stool she was sat on now. Back then, everything had been so simple. There were no burning questions. No feelings of weakness. Just endless possibilities of her future. That she'd been foolish enough to think would be perfect.

"Does Flora know you're here?" Aunt Ivy asked as she stumbled up to her upholstered chair behind the table.

"No. No-one does," Musa replied.

With a sigh, the purple haired woman slumped into her faded piece of furniture that was now more grey than red. "I see. Now what are these answers you're looking for?"

"Don't you know?"

The woman let out a chuckle. "I don't always know. I can usually read a person's feeling when they're beside me…but yours…they seem to be…conflicted."

Musa clenched her hands in her lap. "I _am_ conflicted. I-I don't know anything anymore…I don't feel anything. I can't even tell what's right and wrong because I'm so confused!" She paused then continued in a quieter tone, "I need to be told where I'm headed. I need to know if what I'm doing is right!"

"Dear," Aunt Ivy said firmly. "I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"I want to know what's going to happen! Please. I-I need to know," Musa breathed in a tone which screamed that she had given up.

Aunt Ivy didn't speak. She knew why Musa was here and she also knew she'd come for the wrong reasons. An easy way out. A conformation that everything would be okay. That's what Musa was looking for. The woman knew she could've given her both those things but not only would that mean risking Musa's life but also disregarding the answers that Musa already knew.

"Tea?" she offered after her pause.

Musa hated playing games. She wanted straight answers, nothing more. She was losing her mind just waiting around, hoping everything would turn out for the better. That's why she'd come to Flora's Aunt in the first place.

"Please! Just tell me! I can't take it anymore. I just can't." The sadness in Musa's voice reflected in her eyes. She was on the verge of tears. She could feel it and Flora's Aunt could see it.

It was that fact and also Musa's tiredness, that made the purple haired woman stop dismissing the topic. "I know it's been hard. But I never said it was going to be easy," she said. "The only reason your fate is putting you through all of this is because it knows you're strong, strong enough to handle everything. You just have to trust yourself."

"But what if I can't? I don't know if I've made the right decisions."

Aunt Ivy watched as Musa blinked at her tears. "You always know whether you've made the right decision. What do you feel?" she asked gently.

"I feel nothing." Musa stirred, only seconds away from breaking down. "Absolutely nothing."

Aunt Ivy just smiled and placed her entwined hands on the table. "Search deeper, Musa. You _know_ exactly how you feel."

"No. I don't. I'm too confused."

"You only have yourself to blame for that. It was you who decided to walk away from Riven and let destiny reunite you _if _you found each other's notes with your phone numbers written on them."

Musa buried her face in her hands. Aunt Ivy couldn't have put it more subtly: it was her fault. Though it wasn't as if she didn't know that. She'd regretted her decision countless times. But then she'd also refused to find him by her own will. Only because she was unsure whether he was the one. Wait. Aunt Ivy had mentioned Riven. A name, _his_ name. Her head rose sharply.

"You said Riven?"

"Yes…" Aunt Ivy furrowed her eyebrows.

"So…does that mean he's the one? The one I should be with? The one I'm _meant _to be with?!"

"Are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"Aunt Ivy!"

The woman's eyes splayed in shock.

"Tell me! Is Riven the one?"

"The tea's freshly brewed. It's piping hot-"

"Please!" Musa yelled, her body erect. "Please…please…" She felt the familiar tingle in her nose as she bowed her head and whimpered. She was dying for an answer. All she wanted was a yes or no.

"Do you love him?" Aunt Ivy asked after a moment of silence.

Musa nodded with her head still hung. It was hard, really hard, just to admit that. Not to Aunt Ivy but to herself. She'd denied it for so long. She'd lied to herself. She'd locked away her true feelings and made herself believe that she didn't long for him. For a while she'd even believed that. It had been torture. And had hurt so much that she still felt the pain resonating in her core.

"I do," she whimpered. Her body trembled as she dug her nails into the dusty tablecloth and let her tears flow. But for the first time, in a long time, she'd spoken the truth. She had escaped from the constant torture and denial. "More than anything."

"Then isn't that enough?"

Musa shifted her blurry vision to the bright lipped woman. "No. I want you to say it. I want to know if it's true because I don't know if it is. He played a game. I only met him that day on the beach because he'd read my diary."

Aunt Ivy closed her eyes, as if she was keeping herself from saying something. Then she sighed. "But you still met him and he matched the description I gave you."

"I know. But there could've been someone else if he hadn't turned up!"

"You know what? Let me get you that tea."

As Aunt Ivy rose, Musa too sprang to her feet, rage evident on her face. "I don't want any tea! I came here for answers!"

With lips pursed as if she'd just been insulted, Aunt Ivy pulled her pale yellow shawl tighter around her arms. "I think it's time for you to leave. I'll have clients coming in soon."

"No. I'm sorry!" Musa pleaded as Aunt Ivy pushed her along to the door. "What about my answers?"

"Those, my dear, you already know."

"Wait! No!" Musa called out as Aunt Ivy shut the door in her face.

In defeat, she threw her head back and frowned. She'd thought that she would get her answers or at least something to clear her confusion. But she was empty handed and more confused than before. She didn't understand what Aunt Ivy meant. One minute she'd taken Riven's name, then the next she'd refused to say whether he was the one. He either was or he wasn't. What was so hard in just saying?

Then it hit her. She would die if she knew.

* * *

><p>A scream sounded. A door slammed shut. A pair of voices battled it out for dominance until finally one became quiet.<p>

Musa gasped and dropped her keys. They landed with a metallic clunk on the cold floor and almost immediately she bent down to grab them. Something was wrong; she'd just heard the scream. She had to get inside fast.

"How dare you try to ruin my plan!" the male voice, which had gained dominance, shouted.

"Let go of me," the female voice, which belonged to Stella, hissed. Andy's grip was tight around her wrists, her hands were falling pale. He had her pinned up against the wall and she had no choice but to stay still and clench her jaw in defeat.

He had turned up unexpectedly half an hour ago, when she'd been drying her painted toe nails. His physique had been rigid as if he was ready to tear the world down. But their conversation had been normal, as if they were the perfect couple, as if their conversation at the night club had never occurred. But when their argument had begun, his effortless taunting was nowhere to be seen, it was just accusation after accusation. And she'd realised that he had been outside her apartment when she'd told Musa about Riven.

"Why are you doing this, Stella?" Andy demanded, almost hurt.

"I'm doing what's right!"

"No. What you're doing is ruining my plan!"

"What plan?!" Stella writhed but then resumed to standing still. "You haven't done anything. You've just watched it play out. It's not as if you got Jake to start proposing to Musa!"

A wicked smirk spread across Andy's lips.

"You did, didn't you?" she asked, even though she'd already figured out the answer.

"I can't believe you've only just figured it out."

"You're a jerk! But thank you, because I'm now more determined to break them apart!"

Stella finally broke free and had just started towards the door when Andy grabbed her sore wrist.

"You won't do anything like that or else!" he spat threateningly.

"Or else what?! What are you going do?"

The two of them glared at each other with equal intensity. That's when Musa burst in, worry etched in her features. She looked from Stella to Andy, only to find them in rather normal stances and was left confused.

"I heard a scream. Is everything okay?" she asked, then suddenly felt embarrassed. She'd interrupted them. "Uh. I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Stella said before her friend turned around, sounding desperate to stop her. "Andy was just leaving."

Glancing over her shoulder, the blonde glowered at Andy for a brief second and then ushered Musa out her room. Andy had looked relieved. She knew it was because he'd feared that she would expose him. She felt her lips curve upwards at the thought, glad that he felt somewhat intimidated by her. But the tables were soon turned around as he pulled her back, just before she could follow Musa.

"I'll take her life." The answer to her standing question left Stella stunned.

She watched in silence as Andy sauntered out the room, and only moved when she heard the soft click of the front door. It had to be a bluff. Andy wouldn't really kill Musa. Would he? Goosebumps pimpled her skin and she swallowed. She had no idea what he was capable of. He'd come this far. Of course he could go further. His threat was making her head spin. If she didn't go back on her words, she could lose her best friend. And she couldn't take the risk. Not after Andy had sounded so serious.

Numbly, Stella dragged her feet across the floor and entered Musa's poster plastered room. Not one had been torn down; only more had been put up because of Musa's heightened music addiction which had accompanied her depression. The collage of images hanging on her wall had also grown, now it took up double the space it'd taken before. There were many pictures from Breconize on it, though none of Riven. Sometimes Musa would feel strangely empty when she admired it. He had been such a big part of the trip and when she looked at the photos, it felt like he was never there. But she had good reasons for leaving him off the collage. To keep the pain at bay, to forget the game he'd played, were just two.

But now, while Musa sat on her bed and stared at the pictures, she regretted her decision a little. Maybe she wouldn't have felt so hollow if she saw his face every day and just accepted that he'd been part of her past. Then she might not have been so broken and might have been able to move on. Or maybe she would've missed him more?

She was shaken out of her thoughts after Stella said her name. Her mattress slanted downwards as her friend crawled onto the bed and settled herself. Neither of them said anything. They sat in silence glancing at the decorative collage. It held so many memories, too many memories. It was amazing what the two of them had accomplished over the years. They had done most of what they'd dreamed and a lot of what they hadn't. And after everything, their bond was so strong. It made Stella question whether her friend had really tried to take Andy away from her- not that she wanted him anymore -and whether Musa would believe her if she was to expose the truth about him. But as much as she wanted to say it, as much as she had faith in their trust, she couldn't breathe a word. She couldn't risk Musa's life. Not ever.

The blonde's gaze fell away from the collage and went to her friend's face. Musa's navy eyes were tear filled, a layer of water over her pupils. Her heart's pained cry was almost audible as she looked over the images that she hadn't been able to take her gaze off. She looked paler than usual. Weak. She hadn't eaten properly in days. Stella could tell.

"What are you doing?" Musa asked after turning to find her friend grappling at something on her beside table.

"Ordering pizza for you. How long has it been since you've eaten?" Stella pressed Musa's phone to her ear.

"Stella, don't. I'm not hungry."

"Sorry! Can't hear you!"

Musa sighed in defeat. She didn't have enough energy to protest. Maybe Stella was right, she needed food. It had been a while since she'd had anything to eat. A warm meaty pizza could've been just what she needed to feel a little alive.

"Pizza is on its way. So you can tell me all about your little trip!"

Musa took once glimpse of Stella's grinning and expectant face and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad. I didn't ask, I demanded. Now come on."

"Stella…" Musa sounded as weak as she looked.

"Fine. I'll just look through your phone then."

"No!" Musa cried, trying to reach for her phone but she was too late.

Stella had already found the images she'd been sent: the ones of her and Riven in Breconize. Her eyes scanned over the smiling faces, the laughing faces, and the happy faces. Then she looked up and saw Musa's face, which was in perfect contrast with the ones in the pictures.

Now she understood why her friend had been so quiet and withdrawn. Why she'd suddenly disappeared. And without another thought, she took Musa in her arms and let her friend's tears drip onto her shoulder. But she was angry. Why hadn't Musa told her about it earlier? Why hadn't she come to her? They'd dealt with so much together. She shouldn't have felt like she had to deal with it alone.

"It's okay, M."

"I wish it was," Musa whispered and parted from the embrace. "I wanted it to be okay. Remember Flora's Aunt? Aunt Ivy? I went to her after I got the pictures."

"And?"

"And nothing. She didn't give anything away and now I don't know what to do…I still love him, Stel. I still love Riven!"

Stella paused, a small frown on her face. As if she didn't know that. As if she didn't know Riven was perfect for Musa. But what could she do but lie? What could she do but save her friend's life?

"No, Musa," she said, "You don't love him, you just…miss him." Even she didn't believe her own awful lie.

"What?" Musa looked confused.

"You're going to marry Jake. You love _him_. That's why you said yes to his proposal."

"No, that's not-"

"Look, I know I said you and Riven were meant to be together. But I didn't mean it. I wasn't thinking clearly. _Jake's_ the one for you. He's been there since day one. He loves you, you know that, so stop being all heartbroken and teary eyed 'cause I've had enough! You have to get past it. Now, go get some sleep and make sure you're up early because," Stella lingered for a moment, "we're going wedding shopping!"

"But I don't -I don't want-" Musa shook her head, trying to stop Stella but she was just too fast.

"See you at seven!"

* * *

><p>Fixing the gold belt of her sea green dress, Musa walked out of her room. She was met with a good morning kiss from Jake, her fiancé, who was dressed strangely formally in his grey suit. He said something along the lines of how excited he was and that he'd seen the perfect dress for her, but she hadn't paid any attention. She had been too busy thinking over why Stella had changed her mind about her and Riven. Why she'd suddenly favoured Jake. It made no sense.<p>

"Good morning, darling!" Stella pointed at the box sitting on the kitchen worktop with a grin. "Breakfast is the pizza we never managed to eat yesterday. Grab some to go!"

Musa watched as her friend put her arm around Andy's and walked out. With a sigh, she followed them wishing that her relationship was as perfect as theirs. But she didn't know how truly broken theirs was. Her relationship with Jake qualified as perfect in comparison to Andy and Stella's.

"Wait. What about your pizza?" Musa heard Jake ask. She wanted to reply but just couldn't. Too many thoughts were consuming her mind. She knew that Jake would automatically assume that something was wrong if she remained silent but she didn't care; she wasn't upset with him, she was upset with herself. Jake had been perfect as always.

Musa left the door open for him after turning away. She was sure she'd seen confusion cloud Jake's eyes but again she didn't care. She just wanted to get this stupid shopping trip over and done with. Her gold heels clicked softly against each stair as she hurried behind Andy and Stella, whose conversation was clear even though they were speaking in a whisper.

"I'm proud of you, Stel," Andy was saying, his smirk bleeding through his words.

"Ugh. Don't be. I didn't do it for you, I did it for her. You know that." Stella's tone was laced with resentment as she pushed Andy's arm away from around her shoulder and shot him a glare.

"Well, you did the right thing."

"It's only right to you." Stella stopped on the fourth floors landing and turned to Andy. "Both of us know what's really right."

"Oh, come on. It's not like it's your life that's being ruined." Andy tried to put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder but she was quick to swat it away.

"Don't touch me," she snapped but was drowned out by a concerned sounding call.

"Musa!"

A thunder of footsteps came to a halt. The voice that had called seemed really close, as if it was right behind them.

Both Stella and Andy whipped around, their eyes broadening at the sight of Musa at the top of the flight of stairs, watching them closely. Their eyes met each other's and they saw the reflection of their own uneasy and worried expressions. Then a flurry of panic rippled through Andy where a rush of hope pulsated through Stella. Had Musa heard what they'd been saying? Had she understood?

No. She didn't look as if she had. If she had discerned it, her demeanour would've been different. She would've been stiff, pale with shock and swallowing in disbelief. But she just appeared clueless, like she'd just heard someone speak a language she wasn't familiar with. At that realisation, Andy breathed in relief. He would have to be more careful next time.

With furrowed eyebrows Musa turned to her fiancé, who had just caught up with her. "Didn't you hear me calling you?" he asked worriedly. "Musa? Are you okay?" Jake held her arms loosely, peering deep into her eyes. They darted around the floor, seeming troubled, but he couldn't understand why.

"I think she's just tired," Andy said, walking up the stairs to the couple. "I'll help her down. You and Stella see if you can get a taxi."

Alarm caused Stella to become frozen. She was not about to leave her best friend with her psychopath of a boyfriend, who had threatened to kill her. She would have to be as insane as he was to leave Musa in his hands. "It's okay, I've got her. You got ahead with Jake," she said quickly, running up the stairs to snatch Musa away. But Andy's intense glare stopped her from taking another step forwards.

Then Musa's words gave her no choice. "No. I'll come with Andy," she concluded, looking straight past the blonde.

Musa was angry at her friend. For not understanding her feelings, for being discouraging. She'd thought that at least Stella would motivate her and allow her to free herself from what was going to be a worthless marriage. But no. She'd assumed wrongly yet again.

"Why does everyone desperately want me to get married to Jake?" Musa thought out loud.

Andy turned a corner, leading Musa around it too with his arm around her waist. "That's a good question," he said, smiling. "I think it's because you two are perfect together."

"What exactly is perfect?" Musa asked after a pause, turning to Andy.

"That's another good question. But I don't have an answer for it."

"It's strange," Musa said as they continued down the stairs. "I always thought you and Stella made the perfect couple but then I heard you fighting. What was that about?"

"It was nothing. It was just a pointless argument."

"Really? It sounded like something bigger than that, something more complex."

The automatic doors parted as Musa and Andy walked through. The morning air was damp from the previous the night's rain and grey clouds still rolled overhead. They blocked the suns light, casting a dull and gloomy atmosphere over Magix city. The once glowing sky scrapers appeared nothing more than dead buildings. The water laden park was deserted. The Saturday morning traffic was also nowhere to be seen, only a few cars zipped across the roads. It made Stella and Jake's job of hailing a taxi ten times harder.

Andy watched as the two of them waved their hands frantically and then turned to Musa. "Don't worry about it," he told her, ignoring her anxious visage. "We'll figure it out."

Before Musa had a chance to respond, Jake called for the two of them to get in the taxi which Stella had finally managed to stop. In silence they walked over, keeping a small distance so Jake didn't get the wrong impression.

It took a while till they arrived at the gigantic glass mall since it was located on the outskirts of Magix, where it hadn't rained. It was a cylindrical shape with a dip in the middle and two artistic and indistinguishable sculptures sat either side of the entrance. From the outside the many racks and shelves inside the many shops could be seen, all weighted with colourful products and some hidden with swarms of shoppers.

Just by the mere glow of it, Stella was becoming giddy with excitement. "Come on! They have the best wedding shop!" she exclaimed, already taking off towards the enormous double doors that made up the entrance.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was sheeted with warmth as if she was standing in the sun. A smile spread across her face as she led the group towards the wedding outfitters. The shop had a rectangular white sign and in gold the shop's name was painted on it. Two large glass displays, one with three tuxedos and one with three bridal gowns, concealed the glass door. No. A line of eight impatient and frustrated looking _people_ concealed the door.

"Seems like a lot of people are getting married." Andy turned to Jake and Musa who stood beside him.

"Great," Musa mumbled, trying to look inside past the exhausted looking staff only to find more of a queue.

"We're going to be here a while." Jake sighed.

"Not to worry," Stella chimed. "Musa and I will head over to the pharmacy to get some, you know, beauty products for the wedding while you guys wait in line. How does that sound?"

"We don't get a say in this, do we?" Jake asked, a small smile on his face.

"No." Stella smiled back and grabbed Musa by her wrist. "See you soon."

Musa was quiet as she stood on the escalator next to Stella, who kept glancing at her from the corner of her eye. She was upset with her friend; the last thing she wanted was to go shopping with her. But she just couldn't take the silence any longer as they walked leisurely towards the pharmacy.

"Stella," she finally said.

"Ah." The blonde held up her hand. "I don't want to hear it. I know what you're going to say and like I told you last night, you have to get past it. Okay? Now let's talk face masks. I saw this strawberry one in here the other day and I thought it would be perfect or there's this really nice clay one…" Stella drawled on, strutting through the medicine isle.

Musa simply followed her, scanning the products resting on the white shelves when her eyes fell upon small orange bottles containing yellowish tablets. She grabbed two bottles.

The label read _Oxycontin._

* * *

><p><strong>If you don't know what Oxycontin is, it will be revealed in the next chapter. <strong>

**Only three more chapters to go! Hope you're enjoying the story so far.**


	28. Tell her I'm sorry

**Chapter 28: Tell her I'm sorry**

Her body was sprawled across her bed, half of it dangling over its edge. Her head lay on its side, throbbing from the most painful headache. Her eyes were shut; her mouth was parted. Her lips were dry and crinkly – drawing in and out the smallest amount of air. Not far from where the back of her hand touched the floor, an orange bottle had rolled to a halt. It was empty, just like the one atop her bedside table. Their labels weren't visible under the dim light of the room. But once in a while, when streaks of light managed to filter through the gap in the curtains, the print gleamed and was made visible. The black ink in which the words '_Oxycontin: opiate painkiller' _were printed in would catch the sun's light for just a brief second before disappearing along with it.

Musa hadn't been thinking clearly when she'd bought the pills or when she'd swallowed her first couple. Nor when she'd decided to consume the rest of them. It had been as if her body had been controlling her mind, willing her to take the drugs to extinguish the pain it was burning in. She hadn't been able to stop herself. Her mind hadn't been able to rule over her body. But she had been set free.

The painkillers had worked.

Despite the fact that the whites of her eyes had turned red and her eyes themselves were swollen; despite the fact that her breathing and heartbeat were slow; and despite the fact that she was nauseous and had broken out in sweat, she felt euphoric.

Euphoric. Like her soul itself had been immersed in a rapturous splendour.

She had never felt that way before. Not even when she'd been connected with Riven. Not even when she'd felt free whilst riding on the jet-ski he'd stolen. Not even when they'd bungee jumped, plummeting hundreds of feet towards the ocean.

It was as if she had gained ultimate liberation.

She wanted to stay in that blissful, heavenly world forevermore. There, she didn't have to have a single care; she didn't have to suffer sorrow, she didn't have to feel lifeless_. _It felt more than good to no longer bear her cruel wanting and to no longer have an extreme need for him. She wished she could stay. But she could already sense that she was slowly slipping away, falling from that perfect world.

There was nothing to cling onto. No way to climb back up. Only more awareness of the world around her.

The sound of the opening of the front door echoed around the silent apartment. Jake crept inside, headed for his fiancé's bedroom. He wanted to take her to collect their wedding attire, then have her finalise all the planning his private wedding planner had done. His lips were curved upwards in a small smile as he clasped the door handle of Musa's bedroom.

She didn't register the sound of the handle turning. She was still floating in her bliss filled world that she so desperately wanted to be trapped in. Her heart cried out violently, wanting the slipping sensation to stop. But as milliseconds went by, she was starting to become more mindful of the pain her body felt from the effects of the overdose.

The door clicked open and Jake quietly stepped inside. With a broadened smile he raised his head.

That's when his entire world froze.

The sheer shock that came from witnessing Musa's condition caused his eyes to splay and his chest to tighten. His smile had long gone. His body was now stiff, unable to draw in air. Everything was a blur. Fear encased him in its grip, clenching him tighter and tighter till he was breathless.

The only thing he could think to do was rush to her side. And so he did just that. Cradling her in his arms, he moved her body fully onto the bed, trying not to assume the worst. Her skin was hot to the touch, whereas his was ice cold. His fingertips warmed as he gently shook her shoulders and tapped her cheeks. But she wouldn't awaken. She wouldn't come out of her fainted state and that only panicked Jake more.

"Musa!" he cried, looking down at her with tear filled eyes.

A sudden jolt surged through Stella. Her body lifted itself up, her eyes shot open, as if in reflex to the frantic cry. Within seconds she had stumbled into the room the cry had come from and was left as stunned as Jake had been.

"Stella." Jake turned to the blonde, who stood frozen in the doorway. "Call an ambulance!"

His distressed tone made Stella's lips quiver as she dashed towards the living room, her body trembling the way her lips had been. She could barely press the numbered buttons on the telephone or keep the phone held to her ear. It was harder still to explain the situation.

The sweet-sounding woman on the line was telling her to calm down and take deep breaths but she couldn't. She kept frantically mumbling into the phone, fighting against the breaking of her voice. Every second she wasted, she knew, could be vital for Musa. She had to speak clearly; she had to listen to the woman's instructions. So she closed her eyes. Then took a deep breath. Her hands were still shaking but her voice had steadied somewhat. The woman repeated her questions after Stella's pause, this time adding assurance that everything was going to be okay. Stella answered them quickly and then sprinted back to Musa's room.

She didn't know whether Musa was going to be okay. Her friend had looked so limp, so –

Her mind stopped itself before it could think that inconceivable thought. How could she have gone there? Musa couldn't be – she couldn't be dead. No. Of course not.

By the time Stella crossed Musa's door frame, her knees were weak. She collapsed onto the floor and the first of her tears tumbled out of her eyes. She saw that Jake was in a similar plight. His cheeks were tear stained and he was whispering into Musa's ear, probably begging for her to wake up or at least utter something.

Stella shuffled over to the edge of the bed. Encasing her friend's palm into her hands, she rubbed it and started praying like Jake that Musa would show some sign of life. She blamed herself a little for Musa's condition. After all, she stayed in the same apartment as her. She was her best friend. She should've been checking on her after knowing she was in a bad place.

More tears trickled down the blonde's cheeks. When her vision cleared, she caught a gleam of something. She turned her head left and reached for the bottle sitting next to the lavender lamp on Musa's bedside table.

"Jake," she whispered as her eyes scanned over the print.

He just about heard her over his sobbing. "What?" he asked, unable to straighten himself.

"She – she overdosed."

Stella's gut constricted at her own words. This meant that Musa had bought the drugs the previous day, in that pharmacy that _she _had taken her to. How could she have not seen Musa buy them? Why hadn't she been able to stop her friend? Why was her friend's destiny putting her through this?

The orange tinted bottle fell from Stella's grip, hitting the ground with a clatter. It rolled and stopped in front of the one on the floor. Jake's eyes had followed it. He went numb after realising that Musa had downed twice the amount of drugs he thought she had. She was in such a fragile condition but he'd managed to convince himself that she would be okay. But now he didn't know. Doubt was quickly consuming his mind.

"What did the label read?" he asked Stella, sounding almost angry. "What did the label read?!"

Stella shuddered at his raised voice. "Oxycontin," she replied reluctantly. She watched as Jake's visage changed.

He looked fearful. All hope had left his face. "No," he breathed. "No."

Jake continued to shake his head while Stella covered her face. She knew that he knew that the effects of the drug could be lethal. And judging by Musa's situation, the lethality was at a height. Her symptoms couldn't have been worse. She couldn't have looked worse. But she couldn't have felt better either.

The wondrous place she had been taken to was nothing like the state she lay in.

A blaring of an ambulance horn could suddenly be heard. It grew louder as it approached the tower of apartments Stella and Jake sat worried in. Then the sound of it was almost deafening. A thunder of footsteps, racing up the stairs could be a heard a moment later. That was Stella's cue to rush to the door. She swung it wide open before the paramedics had a chance to knock.

"This way," she told them and led the way to Musa's bedroom.

The paramedics, dressed in their standard dark green attire, piled Musa's body onto their white stretcher with ease. They then hurried out of the apartment without a word. Jake quietly followed them while Stella ran to her room to get dressed.

Jake was keeping up with the paramedics' pace as they ran down the stairs and out of the building. All the people in the lobby had made way for them save for a few people. Flora, Helia and their daughter. They let the paramedics rush by but stepped in Jake's path.

"What's going on?" Helia demanded once Jake had slowed. The expression of worry on his face matched the one Flora had on hers.

"Jake, tell us. What's wrong with Musa?" Flora's tone was more frenzied than Helia's.

"Musa overdosed," Jake finally said.

Flora and Helia's eyes widened simultaneously.

"We have to get to the hospital!"

Helia nodded at Flora's cry. "We'll give you a ride," he said to Jake and then started hurrying towards the car park.

The ambulance was out of sight by the time Helia's car appeared on the road. But the din of its horn still echoed off the glass sky scrapers that surrounded them. He sped towards the hospital, turning violently left and right. He hadn't driven this fast since Flora was in labour. Within a few minutes, the passengers in the car were able to see the ambulance in front of them. But it disappeared out of sight as Helia left the main road to go down a short cut.

With the cars incredibly fast pace, the group arrived at the hospital before the ambulance. But it wasn't far behind. Just as the group had exited the car, the ambulance's tires screeched to a stop in front of the hospital's entrance. Its white doors popped open and the paramedics wheeled Musa inside on the bed she'd been placed on.

Even from a distance, she looked lifeless. It pained Jake to look in her direction. But he knew he had to be at her side; he needed to be there for himself as well as for her. She would need his support if – _when_ – she woke up. And he had to be by her side just because loved her.

He broke into a run and assisted the paramedics and nurses wheel Musa into an emergency room. Fresh tears pooled in his eyes as he traced the tube connected to her oxygen mask to her pink lips. Her chest was rising and falling normally now. But she was far from alive.

Musa was still slipping out of her heavenly world. Faster and faster. Plummeting, falling; desperately wanting someone to lock the door so she could stay.

She was no more awake than she had been back at the apartment. She had no idea that the paramedics had pushed Jake aside and left her in a shady room. She had no idea that a moustached doctor had flicked on the lamp directly over her head or that he and his team of surgeons were setting up equipment.

And she definitely wasn't aware of her best friend's situation.

Stella was quaking from the shock she'd just received. She had jerked so suddenly that the tear drops on her cheeks had flown off her face. Andy had startled her. He stood, leaning against the kitchen counter, facing her with a smirk that meant he knew something.

"Well, well," he said. Stella promptly narrowed her eyes. "Look who's joined my side." He unfolded his arms and walked a circle around her. "After all your denial, I'm surprised to find this out. Under cover, were we?"

Stella swallowed her anger.

"You could've told me. We were working towards the same thing."

"Look–"

"Sending Musa all the way to an overdose – I'm impressed. Only you could've pulled it off. First revealing that Riven was at that club in Las Velas, convincing her that she was meant to be with him before telling her otherwise. Wow. How did you do it? It was such an amazing plan."

"Just stop."

"I have to thank you. This was _just_ the speed up I needed; now Musa is sure to marry Jake after seeing how caring he is."

"Andy," Stella said firmly but he didn't stop.

"You acted so innocent! But I don't understand why? Was it so you could lie to yourself about being a good friend? What was the point in that? It never changed the fact that you wanted to ruin Musa's life. I mean, we could've collaborated a long time ago. If your goal was to kill–"

"Andy!"

With a smirk, Andy cocked his head. "Don't tell me you're going to deny what I just said."

Stella didn't bother with a response. She walked briskly towards the door, determined to get away from him.

"Are you headed to the hospital, to see dear Musa die?" Andy called. "Of course you are. You know, if I'd known that you had wanted the pleasure of killing her yourself then I would've never threatened that _I _kill her!"

Stella whipped around, glaring at Andy with such intensity it looked as if she could melt him. "Shut up!" she barked. "Don't breathe another word or I'll–"

"You'll what? Kill me? Just like you killed Musa?"

"I said don't breathe another word!" Stella's voice was overflowing with rage and bitterness as she hissed through her teeth, "Don't!"

Andy raised his arms in surrender. Bad move. His shift in position had made Musa's black clutch visible. Stella's eyebrows furrowed at the object he'd been concealing. At first she didn't know what to make of it. But then she realised that it could only mean one thing: He'd either put something in it or taken something –

_No. _What if it was the note? Riven's note, the one which Musa had been waiting _so_ long to find? What else could it have been? Andy wouldn't have been interested in the brand of lipstick Musa used.

The barrier which held Stella's adrenaline back opened. She stormed up to the worktop and grabbed the clutch. Her fingers swiftly parted the purse's dividers as her eyes peered in between them. She didn't even know what she was looking for. Maybe she was searching for the note? Or maybe she was searching for evidence that Andy had taken it or if it had been there at all?

"You won't find what you're searching for," Andy's nonchalant voice sounded from behind her.

Stella turned to him with narrowed eyes and almost dropped Musa's clutch.

"Is this what you wanted?" He wagged a note in his hand. _Riven's _note_. _The same one he'd written his phone number on. The same one that Musa had bought the souvenir she'd given to Riven with. The same one Musa had hoped to find.

It was right there, in Andy's filthy grasp, a metre away from her.

Stella wanted to leap forward and grab it, then run to Musa and thrust it in her hands. But Andy quickly put the note away, tucking it into his wallet and then snapping it shut. "Tell Musa I have it," he said slowly, "and I will make sure she stops breathing."

Stella's hatred for Andy grew even before he'd finished. Now there was no way of getting the note. She wasn't strong enough to fight him, nor was she daring enough to demand he give it to her and risk Musa's life in the process. So she simply watched as he walked out of the apartment.

* * *

><p>Riven emerged from his study. As soon as he sensed him, Brandon stopped pacing in front of the living room's spotless, wall sized window and looked up at his friend. He seemed broken, like how someone would look after finding out about the death of a close relative.<p>

"Who called?" Brandon asked, placing the snow globe he'd been toying with on Riven's ebony coffee table.

"Helia."

"Helia? How long have you been in contact with him?"

"It's been a while," Riven mumbled. He was struggling to keep his composure. "Anyway, I have to go. I need to get to her."

Brandon drew closer to his friend with furrowed brows. "Get to whom?"

"Musa. She's been hospitalised. She overdosed."

"Whoa." Brandon's eyes splayed. He could only imagine the shock Riven would've received when Helia had told him the news.

Although, shock was the last thing that Riven had felt. He had been more horrified, more agonized, more bewildered than _shocked. _He hadn't expected Musa to overdose, no. But the first thing he'd felt when the fact had registered wasn't shock. It had been remorse. Remorse over what he'd intentionally put her through. It had to be because of his plan to make her feel his absence that she overdosed.

He picked up the snow globe Brandon had placed on his coffee table. He almost felt the brush of her fingers from the day she'd handed it to him. "Remember me by it," she'd said. And he had. It sat on the fireplace's mantle, where he saw it every day. It didn't pain him the way his jacket she'd kept pained her. He liked passing it by. It brought back memories he was fond of. Memories of her.

Oh, how he was dying to see her.

"Wait," Brandon said, removing Riven's undivided attention from the snow globe, "Did you say that you were _going _to her? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Brandon–"

"No, think about it. She's probably moved on in her life and–"

"If she had moved on then she wouldn't have overdosed _or _taken drugs."

"What do you mean?" Brandon asked as he followed Riven to the front door.

"Look, Helia and I teamed up. We made a plan to make her miss me so that she'd come to me herself, not because of those stupid notes. I thought I'd get her back that way. I never expected her to end up in hospital."

"So now you're going to go see her without waiting to see what she does after she recovers?"

Riven sighed. "Helia said she was in a dangerous condition. She might – she might not–"

"Recover," Brandon finished, regretting it instantly after seeing Riven flinch.

"Exactly," Riven managed to say. "I want to see her – you know – in case –"

"I understand." Brandon nodded, placing a reassuring hand on Riven's shoulder for all it was worth.

"Take care of this while I'm gone." Riven took his friend's hand off his shoulder and put the snow globe he'd been holding into it.

It was times like these when Riven really valued his wealth. Without it, he wouldn't have had the air ship he used to travel to Magix with. He arrived in the grand city two hours later. His heart beating purely out of hope that Musa would be okay. He hurried off the air ship, straight into a glossy black car waiting for him at the foot of the air ship's ramp.

He was sitting comfortably in the chauffeur driven car when he decided he had to pick something up.

* * *

><p>She looked so beautiful. Almost angelic. Her eyes were loosely shut, her eyelashes casting a spindly shadow over her pale cheeks. Her small lips were bright pink. They seemed to quiver when his eyes traced their shape. They looked so delicious; so kissable. He craved the warm sensation they gave him when they were pressed against his. It had been too long since he'd kissed her. It had been too long since he'd been <em>near<em> her.

Riven's fingers grazed over Musa's arm, leaving a trail of standing hairs in their wake. It was almost as if they were reaching out to him, wanting him to come closer just like the way she would've wanted him to if she was awake.

His fingers entwined with hers. They belonged there. He didn't care if their destinies didn't comply.

Riven had barely begun drinking in the sight of Musa when Jake felt someone near him. His eyes shot open and he looked up sleepily. "What are you doing here?" he spat in a low whisper.

Riven didn't jerk back, he didn't even let go of Musa's hand. He simply turned to Jake with his eyes narrowed. He didn't understand why Musa was marrying him. He still looked like the ass he'd been in Breconize. Ever since that day at the beach, Riven had sprouted a seed of hatred for him. But he hadn't realised how much he hated him till he saw the imprint of Musa's engagement ring on his cheek. He wasn't surprised to find the band around Musa's finger. Jake seemed like the possessive type – of course he wouldn't have let the nurses take her ring off for the operation.

"I can do what I like. Free realm."

Jake snorted. "It may be a free realm but Musa's _mine_. Get the hell off her!"

"You don't own her!"

A moment of silence passed. "Tell me," Jake then said, "Why are you here? Why have you decided to show up two years later?"

"Why does that concern you?" Riven said coolly.

"It concerns me because I know you're here for Musa. And if you're planning on getting her back, then think again. I _won't_ let you hurt her twice."

"I never meant to hurt her the first time!" Riven argued, stepping away from Musa as Jake drew nearer.

"Oh, so that plan of yours was meant to bring her happiness?!" Jake challengingly raised his brows.

Riven stood silently, his jaw clenched.

"She went through hell because of you, you know that? Do you know how much she cried?" Jake scoffed. "Of course not. How would you know? You weren't there. You were probably laughing or celebrating your success, while _she_ was suffering."

Riven had closed his eyes, not only to block out Jake's spiteful face but also to withstand the stab of his words. He could feel his remorsefulness multiply. He knew he should've gone after Musa and explained – it would've never come to this if he had. She would have never had to suffer.

"She didn't eat for days because of you. She wasn't even able to sleep. I remember her telling me how betrayed she felt and how much your lies destroyed her. And do you know the worst part? Do you _know_ how long it her to smile again?! A month! _One month. _Only because she trusted someone like you." Jake paused before saying, "I don't think you realised how much you meant to her."

Riven's eyes were lowered to the white flooring as he stood numbly. He hadn't known that Musa had gone through so much because of his game. He couldn't believe it. Had she loved him that much? Would she ever love him that much again? Did he even _deserve_ her love? No – he had wronged her too badly.

"I–" Riven began but then stopped.

"Do you have anything to say?" Jake cocked an eyebrow. He had his arms crossed as he watched the pain on Riven's face worsen.

"Tell her I'm sorry."

Jake shook his head as Riven walked out the room, past the paparazzi that were crowded just outside.

Before the flapping of the door had stopped, Musa's eyes flickered open. "Riven," she breathed, her heart pounding as her eyes desperately searched for him.

Jake spun around upon hearing her speak, relief washing over him like a wave. He immediately rushed to her side and took her hand. "Musa, it's okay–"

"He was in here, wasn't he?" Musa cut him off, her tone relentless. She sat up, frantically trying to remove the white sheets covering her.

"No. Musa, just calm down, okay? No one's been in here. You've just woken up–" Jake was cut off again, this time by her wail. He struggled to keep her on the hospital bed. She was writhing against his arms violently, trying to get up, _needing _to chase Riven. "Musa, stop it!" Jake grunted as he pinned one of her hands onto the bed. "He wasn't in here!"

"No!" she protested. "I know it was him! I heard his voice!" She struggled more violently, swinging her legs over the bed.

"Stop it!" Jake yelled, putting all his strength into holding her back. "I told you he wasn't in here! Lie back down!"

"Let me go! I know it was him!"

"Musa, stop! Lie down! Please?!"

"I know – I know it was him!" Musa gasped for air as dizziness took over her. She suddenly stopped struggling and collapsed into Jake's arms, letting his shirt soak up her tears.

"It's okay," Jake whispered softly as her body trembled against his. "You must have been hallucinating because you overdosed. The doctor said it would be a side effect. Trust me, Riven wasn't in here."

Musa's sobbing grew louder as she clutched Jake's shirt tighter in her fists. Her body shuddered more extremely as he pulled her closer, cooing reassuringly into her ear, repeating that she'd been hallucinating. But she didn't believe him. She'd heard Riven's voice, she'd felt his presence. She was sure of it.

* * *

><p><strong>This took me ages - 22 hours and 42 minutes according to Microsoft Word. I hope my effort paid off. <strong>

**~Only two more chapters to go! Ahh! **


	29. Screw Destiny

**Chapter 29: Screw Destiny**

Stella's left hand was clamped over her mouth as she sobbed. Encased in her other hand was a dress cover concealing the wedding dress she'd just picked up. The blonde was leaning against the wall outside her friend's hospital room, thankful that she was alone since the paparazzi had given up on trying to snap pictures and had gone. It wasn't because she was out of breath after rushing into the hospital that she stood outside. It was because she didn't have the will to step in.

Her thoughts were tangled. Sometimes she thought that she was such a good friend, but at other times she thought herself to be the enemy. Andy had certainly made her feel that way. He'd accused her of trying to ruin Musa's life, of trying to take away her happiness and worst of all: of trying to kill her best friend. But had he been all that wrong? She had done exactly what he'd accused her of, maybe unintentionally, but she'd still done it. And now she had so much guilt weighing down on her conscience and no fortitude to face her friend.

It felt shameful doing what she was doing, because she was doing nothing. She was quietly going along with Andy's game. She was helping him get what he wanted only because he'd threatened to end Musa's life. She could've stopped him – she _should've_ stopped him. But she didn't know how. She was no match for a psychopathic guy like him. She wasn't manipulative. Yes, she wanted Musa to be happy but more than anything she just wanted her friend to be safe. That was why she had Musa's wedding dress in her hand. She'd picked it up to show it to her friend and though she wouldn't admit it to herself, to also stop the delay in the wedding. The sooner Jake and Musa got married, the sooner her worry of keeping Musa unharmed would vanish.

Stella took her hand away from her mouth and steadied her breath. Tears were still sliding down her cheeks. She felt putrid. So putrid that she just wanted to wash herself till there was nothing left. It was killing her to act against her wishes. It was killing her to witness what Musa had done to herself because of Riven. The two were meant to be together, she knew that now. Riven's note had been in Musa's clutch. She just wished that Musa had found it before Andy had.

A few more teardrops slipped from under Stella's eyelids as she sniffled. When she opened her eyes, the sight of Andy smirking in front of her seemed like a vision. It was only when he shifted in the chair he sat in that she realised he was actually there.

"Awh." He momentarily frowned. "Crying because Musa's alive?"

Stella's eyes flickered with rage.

"Don't worry, I'm disappointed too." Andy stood up and approached her. "Come on, Stel," he said. "You don't have to hide your feelings from me."

Stella's grip tightened around the hanger of the dress cover she held as Andy took hold of her chin. "Get off me," she hissed when he lifted her chin upwards.

How could Andy have the nerve to be here, let alone touch her? He should've been celebrating. But of course, he had to continue with his charade. He had to see to it that Musa and Jake got married; that she bound herself to her unhappiness so that he got what he wanted. Stella didn't understand how that would satisfy him. It could never erase the hurt that he'd experienced. It could never bring him the happiness he hoped to find.

Andy pulled Stella's face closer to his. She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks and smell the cologne he always wore. The cologne she always loved. Her eyes shifted to the long, rectangular windows behind him at that thought.

It was brilliantly sunny outside. The tops of the broadleaf trees she could see swayed with the gentle breeze. Pallid clouds floated above them, shadowing a few of the trees from the torrid heat of the sun. Stella remembered the time when she and Andy had lain under the clouds for hours, hand in hand, and he'd told her how much he loved the sky, how much it used to be an inspiration for when he wrote melodies to play on his guitar.

Where was that Andy now? Where had he gone?

He used to be the most praiseworthy person she knew. He used to be caring, gentle, forgiving. He used to be her everything. Stella suddenly realised that she still loved him. And then it struck her. It made sense only now why there was a strange ache in her heart.

"Andy," she breathed as her gaze drifted back to his.

Andy's eyebrows rose slightly as Stella placed her hand on his forearm. At once he withdrew his hand from her chin and stared back at her with confusion.

"I used to admire you." Stella glided her hand over his arm and entwined her fingers with his once she found his hand. "I want that admirable Andy back," she whispered. "I want the old Andy back. The one who consoled me on the Affiel Tower. The one who told me I was beautiful, funny, charming, and smart. The one who I missed the airship to Breconize with."

Andy was unchanged. It was like he didn't know what Stella was talking about.

"I loved that Andy." Tears gathered at Stella's tear line as she squeezed Andy's hand.

She wanted his lips to curl into a smile at the memories she'd revived. She wanted him to realise that those were the things that would give him the happiness he searched for. She wanted him to see that theirrelationship was something more than a part of his plan and that she loved him.

She wanted a romance for herself. Luck had never been on her side when it came to relationships. Hers with Andy was the strongest and most long lasting she'd ever had. It was the one she'd dreamed of ever since she'd first developed a crush on him. She would try and take a shot at preserving what was left of it.

A tendril of blonde hair fell in front of her face as she bowed her head to let her dropping tears remain unseen by the nurses who walked past. Andy almost lifted his unclasped hand to wipe away Stella's tears but when she looked up, his hand looked like it was nailed to his side and had never flinched.

"I loved you so much," Stella continued quietly, fighting the breaking of her voice by clutching Andy's hand tighter. "I love you now. And I want to love you more, but I can't, not when you're like this. Not when all you're focused on is ruining our best friend's life." She paused then said, "You aren't going to get anything from getting revenge. It won't change the fact that Musa rejected you. She'll be with Jake but you'll always know who her heart belongs to! You can never stop her dreaming about him! Please! If she ever meant anything to you, stop this! Give her the note so she can reunite with Riven! Just look at what she's done to herself because of her longing! I know it kills you, Andy, I know it kills you to look at her like this! You're not made of stone!"

Stella was shaking Andy, her tensed hands holding the middle of his shirt, the dress cover long forgotten.

"She only rejected you because she had Riven and she only wanted you as hers because she was hurt and needed to fill her void. Don't punish her for it! Don't punish her for something she couldn't control feeling!"

Andy grabbed Stella's hands and ripped them off his chest. "I'm punishing her for something she _could _control. She could've controlled her actions, she didn't have to crawl back and then change her mind. I will retaliate for what she did to me!"

"It won't change anything!" Stella exclaimed before he had pushed open the room's door. "Please, don't go in there and continue with your deception. If you do…then we're over."

"We've been over for a long time," Andy replied calmly after a moment of silence. "Even you know the last month has been pretence."

Stella looked tired as she pressed her back against the wall. "Was I ever more than just a part of your plan?" she asked in a slow whisper, her cheeks glazed with tears. "Did I ever mean anything to you?"

Their eyes met each other's. Hazel and green. A flash of everything they'd been through swept across their irises.

"Yes."

Stella slid down the wall after hearing Andy's firm answer and let him disappear into the hospital room. The reverberation of the flapping door filled her ears, slowing down along with the pace of her heart. She was glad that she'd meant something to him. It made the last two years seem worthwhile. Very worthwhile indeed.

Andy stopped at the foot of Musa's bed and glanced at everyone in the room in turn. Helia was holding Musa's hand. He had so much concern in his eyes that he seemed like Musa's fiancé rather than Jake, who was sitting on the stool beside the bed with an exasperated look. Flora and Dahlia were seated comfortably on the sofa against the wall on the far left, Flora convincing her daughter that they'd get food soon enough.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Helia was saying to Jake, "How did she get the drugs?"

Jake's eyes passed over Musa's sleeping body before he said, "I don't know," and shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't really matter now that she's okay." Helia released a sigh and placed Musa's hand back to her side, fully aware that Riven had clutched it about ten minutes ago. He wondered where his friend was now; he was expecting to find him in the room or at least somewhere in the hospital.

"It _does_ matter," Jake said, making Helia to turn to him. "Her overdose made Riven come here after all these years!"

Andy's eyes splayed at Jake's revelation. His blood boiled. Riven could not be in Magix, he could not spoil his plan at the last minute. There was too much to lose. He was so close to getting what he wanted, he could not let Riven wreck that chance. He _had _to find him.

"Where did he go?" he suddenly asked, his tone rougher than he'd wanted. Helia and Jake turned to him, surprised to find him present. Then Jake shrugged in response to the question.

Andy clenched his jaw. Riven couldn't have gone far, he was presumably still in Magix. He had to leave now if he was going to find him and put a stop to whatever he was planning. It was obvious that Riven's motive was to acquire Musa. But two years was just a little too long to leave it. It was a little too close to finale of Andy's plan.

Just as Andy was about to turn towards the door, he caught a glimpse of Musa lying under the sheets on the bed, looking peaceful, probably in her dream world dreaming about the one who had her heart, the one he was about to go find. Stella was right: he couldn't stop Musa dreaming about Riven. She was also right when she'd said he wasn't made of stone because his hand twitched into a fist upon seeing how weak Musa looked. He swallowed, unable to remove his gaze from Musa's paler than usual face and depleted expression.

It didn't give him joy seeing her like that. He felt a twinge shoot through his body as he continued to gape at her. She looked as if she was no longer alive. What if that had been the reality? What if the effects of the things he'd put into action had caused her to actually die? The twinge of pain he felt grew larger, spread through his chest till he felt bridled. They had been such good friends – they were _still_ such good friends, despite what had happened between them. Musa had never given up on them. She had fought for their friendship after it had gone up in flames, once in Breconize and once after they'd returned. She'd forgiven him after he'd forced himself on her, yet he hadn't been able to forgive her for mere rejections. She had never claimed revenge. She had never possessed hatred for him. She had never even been hostile – proof of that came from when she'd helped him out that time in Breconize when he'd been too injured to get to the breakfast buffet and she'd had every right to leave him to sorely walk there. So what was he doing? Betraying her without a second thought when she'd never once thought of reprisal. Some friend he was.

He wanted to take away her happiness, whereas, Musa had never thought of doing the same to him. She had always had the intent to do him good. Even when she'd needed him so much the time she'd been leaving Breconize, she'd pleaded with him to get him to stay and for no other reason than to see him prosper in the future. It was because of her that he was now a successful journalist. He owed her. He should've been planning some way of showing her his thanks, not slaughtering her happiness.

Feeling disgusted, Andy strode over to Musa's side. She looked tired but as beautiful as always. He held her jaw line where it was closest to her ear and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her head tilted into his palm as she took a deep breath, almost as if she could tell who was touching her by inhaling their scent. Andy wanted to set his forehead against hers and tell her softly how truly thankful he was for the good that had come out of her rejection. The good that had been his relationship with Stella – something he would cherish no matter where he went.

"Andy, are you okay?" Helia asked gently, laying a hand on Andy's shoulder.

Andy turned around and blinked away a glaze of tears that had somehow formed. "Fine," he replied quickly, stepping away from the hospital bed.

Jake and Helia exchanged glances and decided to ignore their friend's defeated appearance. Their gazes resettled around the room and silence cloaked the air once again. The room was a brilliant white, quite large, too. Musa's bed was placed in the centre, against the wall opposite the double doors. Pale blue curtains had been drawn together and hung beside the bed's headboard, dangling from the thin silver beam attached to the ceiling. The couch Flora and Dahlia sat on was a deep brown, the colour of coffee. It faced a stainless steel sink on the wall on far right of the room. A wardrobe like cabinet sat to the sink's left, containing lab coats, first aid and several changes of sheets. The entirety of the room was lit by five integrated ceiling lights, none of which seemed to be disturbing Musa from her slumber; but Dahlia's sudden outburst caused her closed eyelids to flinch.

"Shh!" Flora hissed, gently rocking her daughter to stop her crying.

Everyone turned to look at Dahlia, wondering why she'd suddenly erupted into tears. Helia was the first to ask. "What's wrong?"

Flora looked up, lips pursed. "She's hungry. She's been complaining ever since we got here."

"It is almost lunchtime," Jake informed the group as Helia went to gather his daughter from the couch.

"Come on," he said once he'd picked Dahlia up. "Let's go get some food."

Flora and Jake followed Helia's lead. They got up from where they were sat and walked towards the door. "Andy, aren't you coming?" Flora asked before she walked out the room. "Musa will be fine, don't worry. We'll come back before she awakes."

Andy was rooted to his spot next to Musa's bed. He hadn't moved.

"Andy?" Flora repeated. Only then did he turn to her and nod.

Flora waited for him to walk over from Musa's side – he stroked her head before he did. The two of them then filed out the room together. They almost toppled over Stella once they'd exited; she was bending down, picking up the dress cover she'd abandoned. Her hair was like a curtain around her head, the tips of it touching the floor. With a sudden flick, she swung it behind her face. It landed neatly against her back as she righted herself.

"Stella?" Flora seemed worried. "Where were you?"

It took Stella a moment to register that her friend was before her. "I was at the apartment, getting dressed."

"But it's been hours. What kept you?"

Stella glanced from Andy to Flora. "I just got caught up, I guess…"

Flora didn't seem convinced but she didn't interrogate her friend further, the swirl of hunger in her stomach stopped her from doing so. "Well, you'll be happy to know Musa's okay. She's sleeping now, so why don't you come have lunch with us?"

"I'd prefer to see her."

Flora lips curled into an understanding smile. "If you change your mind, we'll be in the canteen."

Stella didn't wait until Flora and Andy had walked away to dash into Musa's hospital room. She pushed the door open as soon as Flora had finished and slipped past the quickly closing gap with the dress cover pressed against her chest. The bulky cover spanned more than the width of her body, causing so much drag that it made it a struggle for Stella to walk over to Musa's bed. Her hazel eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the bright lighting inside the room. It was much brighter than the sunlit corridor she'd sat in outside.

Once her eyes had adjusted, Stella studied her friend. A small smile spread across her glossed lips as soon as she saw Musa's rising and falling chest. The movement wasn't small; it didn't require her to strain her eyes to see it like it had done back at the apartment. That was what had made her smile appear.

Musa's right arm lay across her chest, her other dangled over the edge of the bed. The pale blue bedcover – which matched the curtains – and white sheet rested on her stomach, not doing much to keep her chest warm. Stella realised that that was why Musa had her arm draped across her rib cage. Positioning the dress cover next to the nightstand, Stella pulled the cover over Musa's shoulder. She held her breath as her friend stirred and clumsily backed into a medical trolley. A loose wire looped around her ankle and as Stella stumbled backwards, it snagged on her foot, causing her to topple over onto the floor. She felt the force of the impact ripple through her, and then watched with splayed eyes as various machines and equipment fell to the floor. They landed beside the trolley's small black wheels with a loud crash. The sound caused Stella to wince and she guessed immediately that it'd woken Musa up.

She was right. Musa gasped as she bolted upright. She was breathing heavily, hastily, as if she'd just finished a marathon. She whipped her head around and upon witnessing Stella sprawled on the floor, gasped again.

"I'm good!" Stella laughed and scrambled to her feet. The next thing she did was wrap Musa in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, M!" she said, relief apparent in her voice.

Musa, still groggy, took a moment to hug back. Her eyes traced the broken pieces of machinery on the floor and the scattered medical apparatus, some of which had flown across the room and now lay under the coffee coloured sofa. She was surprised to find the trolley still upright; though, the only thing left on it was a blood-pressure measuring machine that she knew if she used now, would show a very big number. Her eyes took in the nightstand next. It was more or less the same with the exception of her knocked over water bottle. She followed the trickle of water that had leaked from it to the floor.

That's when she saw it.

A single orange rose. It lay limply at the foot of the nightstand.

Musa pushed Stella off herself abruptly, her eyes never anywhere but on the rose. Her breathing became ragged as a million memories engulfed her mind. Trembling as she did, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She didn't dare pick the rose up. She just looked at, afraid that it'd disappear or that it was an illusion.

She had been presented with a bouquet of orange roses once, a very long time ago, in Breconize. The petals near the centre had been yellow, the ones on the outside beaded with dew. The presenter had then said some of the lines from her favourite film as a compliment to her. Her eyes had glistened with tears at his words. Her heart had soared. They had left her mystified. So mystified that she'd fallen even deeper in love. It had been such a coincidence that he'd known what her favourite film was, but now she knew that it was only because he'd read her diary.

Tentatively, Musa reached towards the rose on the floor. She twirled it between her fingers after she'd picked it up. It smelled fresh…and like him. A lot like him in fact. She remembered his scent from the time she'd slept with him. It was definitely his.

That meant Jake had lied to her but more importantly that Riven _had_ been in the room. She couldn't believe that it was true. She couldn't believe that she'd doubted herself. The rose was such a clever yet risky sign to leave behind, for she might not have seen it. But the fact that she had must have been, well, destiny.

"Stella," Musa said excitedly, turning to her friend. "We have to go."

"What? Go where?" Stella furrowed her eyebrows at Musa's eager expression. "You have to stay in bed. You've only just recovered! Or have you forgotten that you _overdosed_?"

Musa wasn't listening. She'd already run up to the table beside the door and put on her sea green dress which had been atop on it. When Stella whipped around with her hands on her hips, Musa was hopping, pushing on her second gold heel.

"Come on!" she called, freeing her hair from her pony tail as she walked towards the door.

"Musa, don't you dare walk out that door!"

Musa stopped and turned to her friend with a glare burning in her eyes.

Stella sighed. "Where are you going?"

"Eracklyon. And you're coming with me." Musa hurried over to Stella and started dragging her towards the exit.

"Are you crazy?" Stella twisted her wrists repeatedly in Musa's grip. "You've just recovered. Get back into bed. Or at least tell me _why _you suddenly want to go to Eracklyon?"

Musa suddenly released Stella and the blonde stopped feeling as if she was water skiing on the hospital's floor.

"I need to find Riven," Musa said and held out the rose. "He left this rose on my bed side table when he came to visit me."

"He came here to visit you?" Stella raised her brows.

Musa nodded. "I felt him and I heard his voice. But when I went to chase after him, Jake stopped me, telling me he wasn't in here. I almost believed him till I saw the rose."

"How do you know it was him?" Stella asked. "How can you be sure?"

"I just am."

"Good." Stella sighed, then reluctantly grabbed Musa's wrist. "Now, if you're done with your nonsense, let's get you back into bed."

"Nonesense?" Musa sounded offended.

"Yes, nonsense. How could Riven be here? How could he have found you? And besides, you were the one who said you'd only reunite if you found each other's notes, and you haven't. So why are you going to him now? After two years?"

Musa stood silently, baffled at what Stella was saying, in disbelief of it.

"Put your hospital gown back on and lie down. Can't you see you're not well?"

It pained Stella to say what she was saying. She believed Musa as much as Musa believed herself. She too wanted to rush to Eracklyon and watch Musa and Riven reunify. But how could she take that chance? Andy had sounded so frightening when he'd declared that he'd retaliate. His sureness of what he wanted had to mean his threat to end Musa's life still stood. She _had_ to keep Musa away from Riven and lead her down the aisle to marry Jake.

"Come on," Stella said firmly, tugging Musa's wrist to take her to the bed.

Musa jerked back. "No," she said simply. "I'm _going_ to Eracklyon, even if you don't come with me. I just thought you wanted me to reunite with Riven as I much wanted myself to. I know it's been two years, but it's taken me this long to realise what I really want. Screw destiny like you said, right?"

Stella could see tears stinging in her friend's eyes and tears pooled in hers at the sight.

How could she do this? How could she stop Musa from returning to Riven? They were meant to be together. Destiny had already decided that. Riven's note had found its way to Musa. She would've found it if Andy hadn't taken it and would've then gone to Eracklyon. How did it matter if she went to him without the note?

She had to stop doing nothing. She had to stop being the enemy and finally, just be a friend – a best friend. She _had_ to get Musa to Riven. She was no-one to stand in the way of their destinies. She was no-one to stand in the way of their love. So what if Andy found out? He couldn't suddenly appear in Eracklyon and take Musa's life like he'd threatened. It would be too late. Musa would already be with Riven.

An attack to counter Andy's threat suddenly took shape in Stella's mind.

"Yes," she said quietly. "_Screw_ destiny."

Musa laughed a little as Stella approached her and held her in her embrace. She hugged back instantly and tears fell from her eyes while Stella quickly typed something on her phone. With a click of a button, her counter attack was put into action.

"Come on." Stella smiled widely as she edged towards the door. "Let's get on that airship to Eracklyon."

* * *

><p>To some extent, the airport was quiet. There was minimal bustle. The majority of passengers were lined up quietly in front of the counters, only a few walked to and fro in the space before Stella and Musa. The girls had arrived only a minute before. They'd rushed into the airport after thrusting whatever money they had into the hands of the taxi driver – probably giving him too much but it didn't matter. They didn't have time to count the exact amount, the airship to Eracklyon left in fifteen minutes and they had to catch it or else they'd be stuck in Magix for four hours, and that was not an option.<p>

"Passengers to Eracklyon on flight ER100, please make your way to your gate for boarding."

Anxiety surged through Musa as she spun herself to face the speaker from where the voice had come from. The robotic sounding woman repeated herself a second time as Musa's anxious feeling grew. They weren't going to make it.

"Stella!" she cried, turning back to her friend, who stood with wide eyes and an equally tense expression.

"Don't look at me! Get to the counter!" Stella pushed Musa towards a row of counters with big blue signs reading _'Eracklyon airways'_ above them. Most of them were shut and there was only a single late-looking man with a briefcase standing before the only open one, passing his passport to a uniform clad girl.

_Passports_. Musa suddenly realised that she and Stella didn't have theirs. They definitely weren't going to make now. Whatever small chance they'd had seem to vanish, together with Musa's hope. But she didn't stop. She continued weaving her way through the queue dividers, something propelling her along, something she didn't know.

Her fingers violently latched onto the edge of the counter once she arrived before it. "I need two tickets to Eracklyon!" Musa let out a pant. "I need to get on the flight!"

The powder blue eyes of the uniform clad girl scanned Musa's face. "You're too late," she said. "The flight's about to leave."

"Can't you do anything? You must be able to." Musa's fingers grew tighter around the counter. "Please, I _need_ to get on that flight!"

The girl behind the counter had light blonde hair and doll-like lips, which had been painted a muted pink. She looked just old enough to work at the airport and quite concerned for Musa because of her rigid stance. She fumbled with the white phone on her counter, her gaze never leaving Musa's desperate face.

"What are you doing?" Musa asked, realising the girl's name was Hayley after noticing her gold name badge.

"I'm calling security…" Hayley said hesitantly.

"There will be no need for security!" Stella marched up to the counter. "We just want tickets. Can you get us some for the about-to-leave flight to Eracklyon? Preferably _before _it leaves?"

Hayley accepted the bundle of money Stella handed her and searched her small computer for the airline's ticket form.

"Where were you?" Musa turned to her Stella with her eyes narrowed.

"Talking to this really hot air steward."

"You found right now to be appropriate for that?"

"Hey!" Stella pouted. "I held up the airship. Give me _some_ praise."

"What?" Musa raised her eyebrows, shocked. "How did you do that?"

"Let's just say a little money can go a long way." Stella winked before turning back to Hayley to give her their personal details.

Musa smiled, suddenly feeling an ocean of gratitude towards Stella. Only she could bribe an air steward with success. They actually had a chance of getting to Eracklyon now. She couldn't wait, but at the same time, she could. Her excitement was quickly being replaced with a flurry of butterflies in the abyss of her stomach. It had been so long since she'd talked to Riven. What would she say when she got to him? She was bound to stutter and mess up her words. Couldn't she just throw herself into his arms and hope he understood what she wanted? Or would that be awkward?

When she drifted out of her thoughts, she realised Stella was arguing. Musa knew instantly what the argument was about: the passports.

"What do you want me to do?!" Stella was yelling. "Run home and get the passports? I live in central Magix! Do you know how far away that is? It would take me half an hour to get there. And by the time I got back, guess what? The flight would've left! What value does a passport have anyway? It's just a stupid booklet. I've already told you all the details that are in it – Oh, don't call security!" she said, snatching the phone from Hayley and smashing it back into its holder.

"Stella, calm down–" Musa started.

"Do you want to get to Eracklyon or not?" Stella's caramel coloured eyes were fiery. "Let me handle this."

Musa gestured her friend to carry on, stifling back a laugh at Hayley's scared expression in the process. She felt sorry for the girl. It wasn't fun when Stella was on a rampage. It could certainly be scary. At that thought, she remembered another thing that was going to be scary: meeting Riven after two years. The thought was plaguing her mind. She couldn't get rid of it or the whirl of anxiety in her abdomen. She kept wondering what she was going to say to him. What would her first sentence be? Would she immediately tell him how she felt? Or wait for him to say something?

Her mind was still reeling with a hundred questions when Stella tapped her forehead with two rectangular pieces of thick paper. The tickets, Musa recognized, her eyes brightening at the sight of them. With a lopsided smile of both happiness and surprise, she grabbed the ticket with her name on it and followed Stella to the airline's gate. She spared Hayley a glance, swinging her head over her shoulder to look at her. The girl looked as if she was about to faint.

The passengers seated in the airship looked impatient. Some were tapping their fingers on their thighs, some were sighing and glancing at their watches, whilst others had their heads tipped back. Stella and Musa received several glares as they made their way to their seats. Stella didn't seem to care, but Musa flashed everyone who glared an apologetic smile.

"Here we are," Stella said as she squeezed into her seat by the window. Musa sat down on her right, still feeling uncomfortable about the looks she'd been sent and as if to add to her uneasiness, the caption started his speech with 'finally'.

Eracklyon's afternoon sun was blazing. The girls were wrapped in warmth as soon as they stepped out the airport after having somehow survived customs without their passports. They didn't look around once to examine their surroundings, just ran towards the taxi stand but stopped short.

"We don't know where Riven's house is." The blood drained from Musa's face and the hope she'd salvaged was gone, too.

"You think I don't know that?" Stella snapped in response, meeting Musa's defeated gaze with a frown. She sighed. "Don't you worry, darling. I'm thinking of something," she then said reassuringly.

As Stella paced in front of an airport trolley drop off, an idea sprang into Musa's mind. "Phone, Brandon," she quickly said, pulling Stella out the way of an old couple. "You have his number, right?"

"Genius!" Stella grinned and began rummaging around in her oversized tawny shoulder bag for her phone. "Let's see," she muttered to herself as she scrolled through her contact list once she'd found the device. "Found him."

Musa smiled as Stella asked Brandon for Riven's address over the phone. She soon diverted her eyes from her friend's gradually reddening face and examined her surroundings. The most prominent colour was a dull grey. And it wasn't just because the concrete footpath or airport buildings were of that colour; it was because a thick, grey mist enveloped the area. Musa hadn't noticed it before, but it was probably because it had only just begun to thicken. Passengers that were leaving the airport were engulfed into the fog as they went either left or right. Taxis and cars disappeared into it. Musa could hear the soft sound of traffic nearby but she couldn't see the road full of cars because of the mist.

She started to panic when she realised she couldn't see Stella either, but with two steps forwards, her friend came back into view as the mist cleared. It seemed to be made of individual tendrils of vapour that swirled and straightened every time she took a step. It captured her eye for a brief moment. She watched a tendril curl to form a spiral pattern in the air. But the pattern was soon destroyed as Stella walked over and swatted it.

"What is up with this fog? It's ruining my hair!" she said, clearly annoyed as she glanced left and right at the hair draped around her shoulders.

Musa rolled her eyes. "Did you get the address?"

Stella dropped the strand of moist hair she'd been examining and smiled. "Why, yes. Brandon said he'd meet us there. He also said it wouldn't be a long drive. Apparently, Riven lives near the airport. I was curious so I asked why, and you will not believe what I found out: he has his own airship! How cool is that?!"

"Stella?" Musa's voice sounded from behind the blonde. "Get in the taxi."

Stella whipped her head around and found Musa sitting in a parked taxi behind her. "You know, it's rude to walk away from someone who's talking to you," she said as she climbed into the teal coloured vehicle. She gave the driver Riven's address and then continued lecturing Musa as they were driven to the suburbs.

The suburbs weren't blanketed with as much mist as the airport had been. It was much clearer. Musa took in the area after leaving Stella to pay off the taxi driver. The houses around her were huge. They were about four times as big as her apartment in Magix. Each one was surrounded with newly mowed beds of grass, so green that they seemed to be scaring off the mist. The footpath on the other side of the road seemed like a mile away, the houses even further, seeming unreachable. The area was so plush – Musa had never seen anything like it.

"Nice, isn't it?" The voice was familiar, but it had been so long since Musa had heard it that she wasn't able to place it.

She traced her eyes along the steepening footpath, leading up to the house she stood before. Brandon appeared from within the fog. Of course. Who else could that deep and carefree voice have belonged to? He stopped at the end of the footpath and a welcoming smile adorned his face. His hands were tucked in his trouser pockets as he waited for Stella to turn away from the taxi. He hadn't changed at all, he didn't even look older.

Brandon's eyes enlivened the moment they crossed Stella's. Hers too seemed to change. Musa felt warmed as she watched the two of them approach each other, their smiles widening with each step. She wondered if she'd feel like they did when she approached Riven. She missed that rush of passion and adrenaline that surged through her whenever she drew closer to him. It wasn't like that with Jake. With him – she hated to admit – there was a sense of reluctancy.

Musa _did_ enjoy spending time with Jake. He was perfect. She felt loved whenever they were together, but never happy. On realising that, she couldn't believe that she'd agreed to marry him. How could she have been blind to the fact that she would be walking into a worthless marriage? She didn't know why it had taken her so long to realise that she could never be happy with him. She didn't know why she'd only _just_ gotten the will to find Riven. She let out her breath. Maybe it had to do with her fast approaching wedding? No. It had to do with her unwillingness to be tied to Jake for the rest of her life. No. That wasn't it either. It was everything to do with Riven. The idea of losing him for good had made her run to him. There was nothing else to it, there couldn't be.

He meant everything to her. In her every breath, he resided. In her every waking and sleeping moment, she thought about him. In her every glance, she hoped to find him. In her every touch, all she wanted to feel was him.

She loved him with every atom of her being.

She flew towards the house. Towards its door. She _had _to get to him. She _had_ to feel his electrifying touch. She _had _to kiss him till her lips hurt and were so sore that they seared with the passion he filled her up with.

Musa _needed _him. She _needed _Riven.

She shouted his name as she entered his house with such power that she could've shattered his windows if they weren't bullet proof. She raced through the hall, the hem of her dress flailed behind her. Her eyes desperately searched his living room and the open space kitchen. With growing desperation they searched his study, his dining room, his guest room. Musa was breathing heavily as she ran up the house's marble staircase. She tore through room after room after room, searching for him with such intensity it seemed as if her life depended on finding him. But it did.

She could not and would not live without him. She didn't want to. She would rather float in the emptiness of the afterlife than exist without him.

"Riven!" she called again, running past the threshold onto his rooftop balcony.

A thin layer of thin mist cloaked the air, making the balcony look as if it was within the clouds. Pallid stone tiles lay underfoot, flowering vines clung onto the wall on Musa's left and potted plants lined the foot of the glistening railing. The leaves of the plants brushed Musa's shins as she wrapped her hands around the cold railing and steadied her breath. She was dizzy from the all running and rushing. Everything she could see from the balcony was tilting and spinning in her vision. The mansions blurred while the greenery quadrupled. Then everything merged into the brightest white and she felt herself fall.

Brandon caught Musa just before she made contact with the rough stone ground. "Got you," he whispered with relief, and then carried her inside to Riven's bed. Riven's scent, which Musa had been craving, surrounded her as she sunk into his dishevelled cream colour bed sheets.

Stella made the bed sag to the left as she sat down beside Musa. With a hand on her friend's arm, she looked up at Brandon. "Where's Riven?" she asked.

"He's in Magix. I thought you knew that," Brandon replied, sitting down opposite Stella, levelling the bed.

"We thought he came back here after leaving the hospital. Are you sure he's not somewhere else in Eracklyon?"

"He would've called me," Brandon said with furrowed eyebrows. He glanced at a small clock on Riven's mahogany bookshelf, opposite the bed. It was late in the afternoon. If Riven had flown back to Eracklyon, he would've landed a long time ago and would've definitely come home.

Musa groaned quietly and her head writhed against the sheets. She'd heard Brandon and Stella's conversation and felt utterly stupid for rushing to Eracklyon without first looking in Magix. Riven was obviously still there and now so far away from her. She couldn't endure the flight back to find him. She needed him now, more than anything, more than a painkiller to erase her headache.

"Don't worry, M," Stella said, knowing that Musa was conscious without waiting for her eyes to open. "We'll wait for Riven to get back."

Musa propped herself up and shook her head. "I can't wait that long."

With that, she got to her feet and the sound of her thundering footsteps faded out of the house. Stella was just about to get up to chase after her friend when Brandon seized her arm and pulled her into him. The next thing she knew, his lips had collided with hers. She felt her breath leave her side and her cheeks heat up. She kissed back almost instantly, without hesitation but remained in shock.

Her kiss with Brandon had barely intensified when her phone rang and its high pitched jangle filled the air. Brandon stepped back suddenly, seeming disappointed yet satisfied at the same time. Stella wanted to forget about her ringing phone and continue with the kiss so that his disappointment would vanish, but he was waiting for her to pick her phone up. With a silent sigh, she scooped up the device and peered at the image on the screen. "Layla?"

Brandon was as confused as Stella. He knew the two were no longer friends, so for Layla to be phoning Stella, something bad must have happened.

"Hello?" Stella said into her phone, failing to hide her confusion.

"Stella?" Layla didn't sound as uneasy as she should've been to call her former friend. In fact, she sounded panicked. "Are you in Eracklyon?" she hurriedly asked.

"Yes," Stella replied quickly, glancing at Brandon. "What's wrong?"

"Get to Sky's house right now! We found Musa unconscious outside!"

* * *

><p>The bar Riven sat in was dingy and smelt of mildew. He'd found it whilst strolling down the sunny streets of Magix. He'd gone inside to get a drink. He hadn't realised how parched his throat had become whilst walking around, thinking of what Jake had said to him. If it wasn't for Jake, Musa might have woken up to find him beside her and would've had the chance to hear how much he'd longed for her over the years. He'd planned to come clean about his feelings the next time he saw her, but Jake had ruined his most recent chance.<p>

Riven set his glass down on the splintering wood table with an inaudible sigh. As the large and unshaven bartender lumbered up to him, the hanging yellow lights flickered over his head. He turned slightly to look at them but when he did, they stopped flickering and resumed to casting their weak light. The bark of the bartender demanding his money caused Riven shift his gaze back to the rows of wine bottles on the shelves. He dug out his wallet and handed the bartender a crisp note. The man held it up to the light, inspected it and then trudged off to the cash register, muttering something under his breath.

While Riven waited for the bartender to return with his change, he gazed at a picture in his wallet. It was a picture of Musa he'd taken on their first date. He could almost taste the salty sea breeze and the sand that had surrounded them under the gazebo that night. He could almost envision her in the dress she'd worn, sitting across him. The smallest hint of a smile appeared on his face as he remembered how they'd stared at each other that night in Breconize. He wanted to relive their date and have many more like it. He wanted to relive every memory he'd shared with her and create so many more. He wanted to –

Riven's trail of thought was interrupted by the gruff voice of the bartender. He held a crumpled note and few coins in the palm of his hand. Riven had just opened his wallet when the phone in his pocket sounded. The bartender rolled his eyes and took Riven's wallet to dump the change into it while Riven checked his phone.

As the bulky bartender straightened out the note, small handwriting was made visible on its edge. A row of numbers had been scribbled on it. They made up Musa's phone number, meaning the note was the note Riven had been searching for. But his eyes didn't even graze its surface when the bartender pushed it into an alcove of his wallet.

The text message that he'd just received was – arguably – more important than the note. It was from Stella. Most of it was just her worthless ramble, but it made Riven aware of Andy's threat towards Musa. His fist inwardly clenched. How could Andy think of doing such a thing?

Snatching his wallet from the bartender, Riven stormed out the dingy bar. He'd haughtily walked to the end of the street when, as if by luck, he found Andy strolling down the one opposite him. With his eyes narrowed, he rushed across the road and violently pushed Andy into the dark alleyway behind him.

Andy stumbled to his feet and before he knew who had attacked him, he doubled over because of his attacker's ruthless punch.

* * *

><p><strong>For anyone who wanted something bad to happen to Andy: there you go. <strong>

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. This one took me 29 hours! :O**

**Only one more chapter to go!**


	30. Feels like heaven

**Chapter 30: Feels like heaven**

Andy quietly sidled past the elaborate white door into the room Musa lay in. It was bathed in a pale yellow light and the white furniture inside was aglow. But it was Musa's shimmering skin that caught Andy's eye. He approached her slowly, wincing a little from the pain he felt due to his broken arm and bruised chest.

His attacker from the day before had been Riven, who he'd been more than happy to punch back. He had thought that their duel would elevate some of his anger, but it'd only opened his eyes. He'd realised that he didn't feel any different than he normally did after their fight, and that meant Stella had been right. Nothing had changed, and it wouldn't change even if he bound Musa to her unhappiness. It was pointless getting revenge, because he was getting revenge on fate – something he could not control or get back at.

He arrived at the side of Musa's bed with a few slow strides and gazed down at her with a million apologies creeping up his throat. He knew he would never be able to tell what he'd done or how unworthy he was of her, but he had to express his regret. It was the only thing in the world that would lessen his guilt.

The bed Musa lay on was royal, draped with velvety indigo-coloured sheets. The headboard was padded with an ivory material and had an intricately carved gold border. Musa's head kissed it as she slept. She had on a troubled expression, as if she had the world to save but could not wake up. Her look made Andy feel sick. It was the result of everything he'd put into action, his fault.

He bent over her tentatively, brushing the hair from her cheeks with his unbroken arm. Then he pressed his thumb along her forehead in hopes to ease the tenseness in her muscles. He traced his fingers along her jaw line next, felt the tops of her eyelids and grazed the fullness of her lips for one long moment. He wanted to sit by her and caress her until the sun fully invaded the room. But he wasn't here to do that. He was here to atone. His fingers suddenly curled away from Musa and his last chance to comb through her navy hair was gone.

Andy righted himself with a sigh. It was time to do what he was here to do. He scanned the beautiful room quickly. Opposite Musa's bed was a white wood dressing table, with handles like small door knockers on every drawer. He could picture her sitting on its stool, gazing at her appearance before her wedding. She'd get dressed behind the floral screen next to it, while her friends gossiped on the white chaise lounge that matched the bed with its gold border and ivory padding. She'd give a twirl on the white rug in the centre of the room when she was ready, and he knew Stella would shed a few of tears.

When he shook himself from his vision, he spotted what he was looking for. The dress cover. It was hanging off the recliner beside the net covered window at the far end of the room. As Andy approached it, he couldn't stop the image of Musa sitting on window's seat with a forlorn expression from consuming his mind. It instantly made him feel guiltier, because he knew she'd live through that sadness before the ceremony all because of him.

She would have to bear the dejection he saw in his mind. She would have to keep herself from breaking down by hugging her knees closer to her chest. She would be looking out the window, hoping with every fragment of her soul that Riven would show up. She'd be yearning for him so much at that moment. Andy hoped that all of that would be worth it after he brought back her happiness.

Unzipping the dress cover, he ran his hand over the beaded bodice of the gown with haste. He'd almost done what he needed to do when he heard a groan from behind him. Musa was awakening, tossing and turning like she usually did before she opened her eyes.

Alarm bloomed in Andy's irises as he whipped around and saw Musa starting to get up. Any minute now, she'd turn her head towards the window where he was crouched. He didn't want her to see him. He had to hurry.

He fumbled as fast as he could with the fabric of the dress while the small beads and sequins left scratches on his skin. He was almost finished. Only one tiny push left to go. There. He smoothed the jewelled belt of the dress with one quick swipe and straightened just as Musa's head turned.

She didn't notice the open dress cover, she just noticed Andy. He was standing with his back to her. The light he was gazing at through the window was causing him to narrow his eyes. How long had he been there like that? And where was she? She didn't recognize the huge window or the room.

"Andy?" Musa said as she stood from her bed.

He turned to her and smiled. "Good morning," he said, taking a step forward. As he did, the light pouring in from the window illuminated his battered face.

"Whoa." Musa's mouth fell open. "What happened to you?"

Andy looked from his sling to his bruised and bandaged hands and laughed. "Well, I–"

"Got attacked by a pack of wolves? Got run over by a road roller?"

Andy smirked. "I'm going to miss that humor of yours," he said quietly as nostalgia took over him.

"Huh?" Musa grew anxious. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," Andy quickly countered, removing his gaze from Musa's wide eyes. He shouldn't have let that slip. She could not have the slightest idea of what he intended to do.

Musa rose suddenly to the tips of her toes and touched the blood blotted bandage wrapped around Andy's head. Then she cringed. "That's gotta hurt. So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Once, I might have done," Andy replied thoughtfully. "But now, I'm not going to."

Musa rolled her eyes and untwisted Andy's sling strap. "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself?"

"I'll try."

Musa gave a 'thank you' nod and then realised that she still didn't know where she was. "Where are we, by the way?" she asked, suddenly feeling the coolness of the stone floor beneath her bare feet.

"We're in the temple's dressing chamber," Andy answered as if it was obvious. "Jake booked the place for the night before the wedding, remember? Stella must be on her way to get you ready."

"Wait." Musa crinkled her brows. "Today's the wedding?"

Andy nodded, knowing exactly how Musa was feeling. "Everyone's downstairs, perfecting the decoration."

Musa's head whirled. She was so confused, so frustrated. The last thing she remembered was rushing off to find Riven in Eracklyon. How had she ended up in Magix?

She spun around to survey her surroundings. She knew but feared what she would find. Her dress was hanging out of its cover, waiting for her to put it on. A massive box of make-up sat on the dressing table and from the mirror's reflection, she could see that she was in a nightdress. Another thing that didn't make sense. In a few hours, she was going to be walking down the aisle. Guests and paparazzi were probably already on their way. And her chances of reuniting with Riven were as slim as veil she'd be wearing. Destiny didn't seem to be on their side. It was standing in their way like a mountain, putting everything it had into keeping her from him.

But maybe that was how it was meant to be?

Andy placed his hand on Musa's shoulder. "Don't be so nervous. You know I prefer it when you smile, right?" he said. "Everything will be fine."

Musa looked up and flashed him a small smile. Andy sounded like he knew what she was going through. But how could he? He must have just thought she was nervous about getting married.

Before she had a chance to respond, Andy let out a breath and cupped her hands. "Musa," he said, looking down at her pale knuckles. "I'm sorry."

"What?" she asked, looking like she was about to laugh. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I have, and I want to apologise to you for it before I lose the chance." Andy raised his head and looked Musa in the eye. The air around them became solemn. "I can't tell you how sorry I am," he whispered. "If I tried, I think I'd be here all my life. There's nothing in this world I could do to redeem myself after what I did. I'll never be able to forgive myself for it. I'll repent every day of my life."

Tears glistened in Musa's eyes at Andy's pain and sincerity. But she had no idea what he was talking about.

"You didn't deserve any of it, Musa," Andy continued. "If I could, I'd go back in time and give you the happiness you deserve. I'm sorry I wasn't able to. Can you forgive me?"

"I forgive you," Musa whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I forgive you."

"I'm so sorry, Musa." Andy kissed her hands. "I am so, so sorry. I don't deserve to live after what I did."

"Don't say that," Musa gasped, clasping Andy's hands tightly. "I would die if you weren't here."

"Take that back!" Andy snapped, his tone suddenly desperate and commanding. "Please. I need you to take it back."

Musa furrowed her brows, a little scared. "Why?"

"Please." Andy momentarily shut his eyes. "Just take it back."

Feeling like she was under the pressure of someone's dying wish, Musa gave in. "Okay, I take it back," she said quickly, unsure of why he needed her to say it.

"Thank you," Andy breathed in relief and Musa saw that his eyes were wet. Now she was even more confused than before.

"Andy, what is this all about?"

By the time Musa posed the question, Andy was at the door. He almost ignored her and walked out, but something stopped him and he turned around – though a little reluctantly, as if it caused him pain.

"I can't tell you that," he said with a sad smile.

Musa frowned and stood, waiting for the reason. But it never came. The door creaked open and Andy stepped out. She watched him turn his head to the side, and for a moment, their eyes met.

Then he said, "I hope you get all the happiness in the universe. You deserve every bit of it."

With that, Andy walked briskly away from the dressing chamber, praying that Musa wouldn't follow him. He knew she'd be baffled and he knew she'd only figure out the meaning of his words the following day. He tried not to think about the sadness that would consume her eyes as he hurried down the curving staircase.

Just as he was about to step out of the temple into the light of the day, he bumped into someone. The swish of blonde hair gave her away.

Stella looked up, and the same astonishment that had struck Musa, struck her upon seeing Andy's state. She didn't speak, just took in and let out heavy breaths.

Andy let his mind commit Stella's face to memory while they stood face to face. This was the last time he'd see her. He had to remember every detail, from her mascara coated lashes to the glow of her skin. But she was so beautiful. He wondered if he'd be able to envision her perfectly. It would be near impossible to paint the beauty of her face in his mind.

He reached out and held her chin. Stella saw that Andy's eyes were sparkling like he was happy, he even wore a smile, but the moment for him was dismal. He wanted to say so much to her. Tell her everything he'd ever felt, tell her exactly how he was feeling now. But he couldn't.

All he could do was withdraw his hand, fish out a necklace from his pocket and hand it to her.

Stella glanced at silver chain in her palm and when she looked up, Andy was gone. She whipped around. He was descending the entrance's stairs, and something in Stella told her that it would be the last time she or anyone else ever saw him.

She fingered the necklace's silver cloud charm and tears pooled in her amber eyes. The cloud represented her and Andy's favourite activity: gazing at the sky. They'd done it countless times over the years. It was the most perfect thing he could've given to her to remember him by. She made a fist around the chain and held it to her heart as tears fell from her eyes. Then she fastened it around her neck and rushed to the stone staircase to get to the dressing chamber.

Tea lights sat on either side of every step. Stella's cerulean dress almost caught fire as the garment's hem licked the tiny flames as she sped up the stairs.

The temple was ancient. The candelabras on the pedestals lined along the corridors were coated in grime and hadn't held a candle in years. Ecru coloured stone made up the walls and floor. The arched white door of dressing chamber looked ridiculous set against it.

Stella brushed her hand against the door's floral pattern before pushing it open.

She was about to bombard her friend with a thousand explanations but stopped short. Musa was curled up on the chaise, cradling what looked like a jacket.

"Whose is it?" Stella asked softly as she came up behind her friend.

Musa turned around and the jacket made a soft rustling sound as she did. "It's Riven's," she replied.

Of course. Stella recognized it from the night they'd left Breconize. Musa had had it in her hands when she'd seen Riven walking into the hotel on her way out. It was the only physical thing her friend had to remember him by. It must have been as important to her as the silver necklace around her own neck.

Stella sat down next to Musa and draped an arm around her. "I know you miss him," she said, "but you're getting married today. To Jake."

"I know that," Musa whispered and laid the jacket against the chaise's only arm. "And I also know I need to be getting ready, but I just can't do it, Stel. I never thought I'd be here. I thought I'd find Riven yesterday and be at his house right now. I don't know how we ended up in Magix. Did we even go to Eracklyon or did I dream everything?"

Stella brushed away the tears from Musa's cheeks and smiled sadly. "We did go to Eracklyon," she said. "You fainted outside Sky's house. And since Riven wasn't there, we brought you back to Magix. Jake was outside the apartment when we got back, waiting for us. I'd completely forgotten I was meant to be bringing you here. You picked up Riven's jacket before we came."

"I did?" Musa looked perplexed.

"You don't remember?"

"No." She looked to the window. "Everything was a blur."

"Well, it's the only thing you picked up, so you don't have any toiletries." Stella hesitated. "And I _might_ have forgotten to bring them over from the apartment this morning."

"You said 'we'," Musa suddenly said, ignoring what Stella had just told her. "Did you and Brandon bring me back?"

"No," Stella shook her head. "The girls and I did."

"The girls? They're here?"

Before Stella could respond to Musa's excited tone with surprise about her reaction, the door burst open and stole both their attention.

Four girls stood in the doorway, wearing an array of colourful dresses. Three of them, Musa hadn't seen or spoken to in two years. They looked different but exactly like how she remembered them. Their smiles hadn't changed for sure. They advanced into the room as one body, veering to the right where the chaise stood. She and Stella rose to greet them.

"Did you miss us?" Bloom asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

Musa nodded instantly, a smile on her face and her own gathering of tears at her tear line.

Then all the girls clustered together and teardrops fell from their eyes as they pressed their foreheads against each other's. "Group hug!" Stella exclaimed and the cluster became tighter.

Their touches felt alien like. Musa had once been so used to them, dragging her arm, hitting her around the head or embracing her. It felt so good to feel them again. It felt so good to fold into her friends' arms.

When all the hugs had been exchanged, the girls stepped back and just smiled widely. It had been too long. The reunion had felt surreal.

"Right," Layla then said firmly. "We have three hours until the wedding. If we all work together, I think we can get Musa ready just in time."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Flora asked, moving towards the dressing table.

Tecna followed her lead. "Let's get to work," she said. "Musa will be the most beautiful bride anyone's ever seen!"

* * *

><p>"What if this doesn't work?" Riven asked as he and Helia came to stop outside the temple, behind a large stone pillar. He wasn't doubtful, but scared. If what they'd planned backfired, he would lose Musa for good. And he didn't want to watch that happen.<p>

"It will work," Helia said assuredly. "She loves you."

Riven sighed. He knew that. He'd heard about her run to Eracklyon to find him from Brandon.

"The girls know what they're doing," Helia continued. "Musa will be so instigated by noon that she'll definitely run to you. Timmy and Tecna predicted that she'll have left the room about fifteen minutes into the wedding."

Riven narrowed his eyes. "What if she's not instigated enough? What if she doesn't run out the wedding but walks up to Jake and makes the seven rounds of the flame with him?"

"She won't." Helia's tone was calm and certain.

Riven crossed his arms and pressed his back against the ecru pillar. "I can't believe you're not letting me intrude if she doesn't do anything."

"If she doesn't do anything," Helia said, "then she's marrying Jake by her own will. You can't stop her making that choice."

Riven sighed, knowing Helia was right. He had to have faith in her love, and most of all, had to trust their destiny.

Helia put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "She _will_ come to you, Riven," he said with assurance.

Riven didn't respond, just pointed through the temple's giant window. "You better get back to Jake," he said. "The guys look like they're intimidating him a little too much."

Helia sighed, regretting his decision to leave the guys with the extremely nervous groom. He started for the temple's entrance but didn't leave till he'd patted Riven on his shoulder and straightened his black suit.

Riven rolled his eyes when Helia finally hurried into the old building. Then he took his place at the side of the window. From where he stood, he could see the arched door Musa would emerge from.

The last of the guests were filing in, squeezing past others on the pews to get to remaining seats. The women, all clad in vibrant dresses sat with their fingers entwined and the men in various coloured suits sat with straight faces. An excited group of paparazzi stood near the raised platform at the front of the room. They were snapping their first pictures; those of Jake, who was standing with the elderly priest on the platform, rereading his vows from the small piece of paper in his hands. Sky and the rest of the guys had finally left him alone and now sat on the wooden benches facing him.

Riven shifted his gaze back to the room's entrance and spotted Helia walking in through the threshold. He rushed up the aisle, making the ribbons and flowers attached to the pews waver. The ribbons were a deep red, the flowers a pallid cream. They hung from alcoves in wall meant for torches and decorated every inch of the curtained canopy on the platform.

Helia stepped onto the dais with one large step and started talking to Jake. After a few seconds, he stepped away to take a seat next to his daughter, among the guys. There were spaces in between them, left for their girlfriends and wives, who must have still been with Musa.

Riven hoped that the girls had done their job. If they had, Musa would currently be engaged in her inner battle. She had to choose him. He needed her to run out the wedding and into his arms.

He _needed_ their reconciliation.

* * *

><p>Musa sat with a forlorn expression, gazing out the dressing chamber's window. Her red dress cascaded from the window seat. The silver beads and sequins on the bodice of the gown crunched together as she brought her knees closer to her chest. She was fighting her tears. She didn't want to walk towards Jake in a matter of minutes and be tied to him. Her heart yearned for Riven, and she knew its wanting wouldn't go away unless she pressed her lips to his.<p>

She turned to the girls. Stella and Tecna were battling for the full-length oval mirror; the others were crowded around the dressing table, perfecting their hairdos. They hadn't noticed her sadness. They had been continually telling her that the wedding would go fine, that she and Jake made the perfect couple, and that she was lucky to be marrying him.

But Musa didn't think of herself as lucky. She thought of herself as the opposite. She hadn't reunited with the one she loved; she was going into a marriage in which she'd always be unhappy; and she had no hope. Worst of all, she was about to lose Riven, about to condemn her heart to eternal pain.

Restlessness took over her. There had to be a way out. She had to find it. She had to find _him._

A cool draft of air blew into the room as the door opened. A clop of heels followed. A flash of purple was seen in the mirror and Flora turned around upon catching it.

"Aunt Ivy!" she exclaimed cheerfully as the woman approached.

Aunt Ivy's red lips formed a smile as she embraced her niece. "Flora, dear, I'm so happy to see you," she said when they parted. "How's Dahlia?"

"Dahlia's fine," Flora replied, wondering why her aunt had asked about her daughter so purposefully.

"Good." Aunt Ivy glanced at Musa, then whispered, "I'm here for the grand finale!"

Flora's eyes lit up. "You've seen it?"

"Yes," Aunt Ivy said excitedly. "It's so romantic. Oh, it's just perfect for her!"

Flora was near laughing – this was just what she'd needed to hear. She squeezed her aunt's hands and then let her go to Musa, who hadn't moved from her position by the window.

Seconds were ticking away quickly in the back of Musa's mind. She knew that she'd soon be dragged down the stairs to the temple's ceremony room. She could almost picture Jake standing by the fire under the canopy, waiting for her to extend her hand. She didn't know if she was going to, she didn't know if she could.

Someone was coming towards her, she could feel it. Was it time already?

Musa shut her eyes as the person placed their hand on her shoulder. She was expecting it to be one of the girls, but the wrinkled hand told her otherwise. She looked from the person's lacquered nails to their outfit. A shimmery number, some sort of dress. She'd only ever seen one person wear something like it.

"Aunt Ivy," Musa acknowledged as she lowered her eyes to the woman's buckled heels.

"Unhappy to see me?" The woman shifted a cushion and sat down. "Is something wrong?"

Musa shut her eyes in an attempt to avoid Aunt Ivy's gaze. But the woman was persistent. She grabbed her chin and raised her head.

"Everything's wrong," Musa hissed through her teeth, her eyes still shut, only this time to stop her tears from falling. "I'm getting married to Jake."

"And you don't want to marry him. You're still longing for Riven. You never managed to find him yesterday. You're scared of losing him because you're in love with him. You're scared of being tied to Jake. And you're angry at me for not helping you. I know."

Musa finally opened her eyes and stared at Aunt Ivy, bewildered.

"You're fighting with yourself for no reason," the woman said. "You know exactly what it is you want."

"No."

Aunt Ivy pursed her lips. "By saying that, you're only lying to yourself. You've known the answers since the day you came to me. Don't be afraid to go after what you want. It's not too late. Trust yourself to make the right decision and follow your heart. This is your last chance."

"Darling, time to go!" Stella's voice came from the door.

Musa's stomach churned as Layla and Bloom hoisted her to her feet and walked her to the door. Tecna and Flora took over from there. She was led hurriedly down the curving stone staircase and past the temple's entrance which faced the area of worship. A pillar later, she and the girls had arrived outside the room Jake was waiting in.

Musa's breathing was shallow, her eyes were wet. She was just a door away from her doom.

The girls were so busy adjusting the ruffles on her dress that they didn't notice her terrified expression. And even when Stella secured Musa's hair piece and looked her directly in the eye, she seemed to pay no mind to it. She simply interlocked their arms and prepared to walk down the aisle.

Aunt Ivy suddenly appeared at Musa's side. "Remember what I told you," she whispered just before the doors burst open.

There was absolute silence when Musa took her first steps into the room. It was as if everyone was holding their breath. Jake actually was. His eyes sparkled as he watched his bride slowly walk up to him. He didn't know that the only reason she was moving was because of Stella's dragging.

Musa's gaze was at the hem of her dress. She felt choked. Her mind reeled. Every time she took a step, she grew number.

The girls' words flooded into her head and she wanted to scream; shout how they untrue they were and that she and Jake were not the perfect couple. Aunt Ivy's words were next to flow into her mind. They didn't fuel her restlessness like the girls' words did, but caused her to see clearly.

This was indeed her last chance. If she didn't do something now, then she would be bound to Jake for the rest of her life and her chance of being with Riven would disappear into the abyss of nonexistence. Her soul would burn with wanting, forevermore. She would rob herself of her own happiness.

She couldn't do that.

She knew exactly what she wanted. Riven and happiness. They were within her grasp if she wanted them to be. It was in her power to find them, and surely, it was in her destiny, too.

Musa's steps down the aisle suddenly became more reluctant.

Aunt Ivy had been right. She _had_ known the answers. Musa glanced at her with gratitude as the woman left her side to go sit on a rose and ribbon decorated pew.

As Musa went up the platform's steps, something from the side of her dress fell. Before she could turn to look at it, Jake's hand slipped into hers. Reality pulled her out of her thoughts at his touch. She was on the dais, the ceremony was about to begin. She hadn't realised that she'd walked the length of the room and made it to Jake.

The flame of love flickered by her feet. The priest stood behind it with his hands clasped together and started saying a blessing.

The anxiety Musa felt intensified. Her feet itched to get off the platform, and her hand wanted to pull itself away from Jake's. The curtained canopy obscuring the wall in front of her suddenly quivered, as if it was ushering her to leave the wedding and get her happiness. But she was rooted to her spot, completely overwhelmed.

Behind Musa, Dahlia had jumped down from her pew and had picked up what had fallen from Musa's dress. She waved it in the air and it caught Musa's eye. It was a banknote. It couldn't be Riven's, could it?

"The sun shines brightly over these two today. Let it shine in their lives forevermore–"

Musa cut the priest off by rushing down the platform's stairs. She stopped in front of Dahlia, trembling. There was writing on the note, a string of numbers. A smile tugged at her lips. It _was _Riven's.

Dahlia held up the note with a squeak. Musa reached for it as tears fell from her eyes. Gasps had relayed among the guests but she hadn't heard them. Her friends had risen but she hadn't noticed them. All that she'd been focused on was the note.

It had gotten to her. She and Riven were _meant_ to be together.

She turned to her friends and Aunt Ivy, swallowing back her tears. They were all smiling.

"Go to him!" they shouted in unison.

Musa didn't wonder who they meant. She knew. She gathered her dress quickly and sprinted down the aisle.

She ran past the open door, through the area of worship, straight into the sunlight, _straight_ into his arms.

Oh, they felt like heaven.

Riven spun her around, then pressed his lips to hers. They felt like heaven, too.

They stood in stillness for what felt like hours. Musa only looked up when felt the thrumming of Riven's heart slow. Her soul had finally stopped aching. She was finally serene.

She stared up at the violet eyes she'd missed so much. They were smiling down at her.

Suddenly, Riven produced a banknote similar to the one she'd taken from Dahlia. Only this one had her writing on it. Her eyes widened.

"You found it," she said in surprise.

"At the same time you found yours. It was in my wallet." Riven drew Musa so close that the tips of their noses touched. "Are you now convinced that it's our destiny to be together?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, grinning. But she didn't need the notes as proof. The fact that destiny had gotten them back to each other's arms was enough.

* * *

><p>The stars were like rhinestones in the dark sky, reflecting in the eyes of their gazers. They outshone the orange horizon, illuminated the wisps of cloud hiding the tip of the Mount Breconize. Musa and Riven stared at them with their arms around each other, sitting on a ledge, not far from the top of the mountain.<p>

Destiny had played a cruel game with both of them, but here they were, reunited at last. Never to part again.

Riven kissed the side of Musa's forehead as she leaned into his chest. He was fingering the wedding band on her finger, the one he'd put on it. Gazing deeply into her twinkling navy eyes that were tracing the constellations overhead. To hold her again after two years felt…too amazing to put in words. She was worth the wait. Worth every painful second he'd spent craving her, worth every minute he'd spent regretting hurting her.

He would never let her go. He promised himself that as he tilted her head to kiss her.

Musa smiled into the kiss as the sparks she'd missed so much raced down the length of her spine. Scalding pulses of heat gushed through her arms as Riven deepened their kiss and she loved the tingles they left exploding under her skin. When he pulled away, her eyes shone with passion. With happiness.

Riven pulled her close, and together, they looked up at the endless chasm that was the night sky as the first of the fireworks burst above them.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Finis.<em>**

**I sincerely hope you enjoyed Destiny's Game! **

**It's been a long journey, of about a year and four months, and ****I want to thank you for accompanying me on it, whether you were with me from the very beginning of this story or joined along the way. I can't express how thankful I am! Your support, comments and critique have all been amazing to receive. Thank you _so_ much. **

**Sadly, it is the end. But at least the ending was happy, right?**

_Until next time,_**  
><strong>

_xxxMusarockz._


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